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THE 



LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS 



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THE 



Land of the Cliff-Dwellers 



FREDERICK H. CHAPIN 

AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAINEERING IN COLORADO" 



BOSTON 



APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB 
W. B. CLARKE AND COMPANY 

340 Washington Street 

1892 



Copyright, 1S92, 
By B'rederick Hastings Chapin. 



fWy'V 



SEnt&crBttg ^rcss : 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



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PKEFACE. 



FOE a number of years I have passed my va- 
cations in rambling in the high Eockies, 
and as a variation from mountain-climbing have 
spent some time investigating the antiquities of 
Colorado. It is a description of ruins and relics 
which occupies an important part of this work, 
though the mountains have not been neglected. 

With few exceptions, the pictures are copies 
from my own negatives. For four very inter- 
esting views of pueblos I am indebted to the 
Bureau of Ethnology, and for a view in Socorro, 
and of a ruined adobe church, to Dr. F. M. End- 
lich, of Colorado. The reproductions were made 
by the Art Publishing Company of Boston. The 
general maps are based upon Government publi- 
cations, the details of which I have filled in from 
various authorities. The map of the Mesa Verde 
is based upon that published in Hayden's Ee- 
ports, and upon the beautiful panoramic views of 



11 PREFACE. 

Mr. William H. Holmes. I have added a num- 
ber of canons not placed upon the original map, 
and have located a number of ruins. The map 
has been re-drawn by Mr. J. J. Nairn in a man- 
ner to show the plateaus and canons in relief. 

Though I have had occasion to quote from the 
work of Ternaux-Compans, the repository for the 
published documents of the early Spanish ex- 
plorers, in the main I have preferred to follow 
the accounts given in the recent works of A. F. 
Bandelier, H. H. Bancroft, and the " Narrative 
and Critical History of America," edited by Jus- 
tin Winsor, for the reason that these writers 
have had the advantage of consulting copies of 
manuscripts and other printed documents, and 
have been able to correct errors in the French 
translations. I am under especial obligations to 
the works of A. F. Bandelier. This well-known 
authority, under the auspices of the ArchaBolo- 
gical Institute of America, has investigated the 
ruins of the Southwest and made a study of the 
existing tribes. Well equipped with the knowl- 
edge of the Spanish historical documents, he has 
been able to give us a clear picture of explora- 
tions as related by the early chroniclers. His 
works are published in the papers of the Archse- 
ological Institute of America, American Series, 



PREFACE. Ill 

of which Parts L, II., III., and V. have been 
issued. Of the works of Hubert Howe Bancroft 
— likewise gratefully acknowledged as the source 
of much valuable information — the volumes prin- 
cipally consulted are vols, i.-v., " Native Eaces ; " 
vols, xiv., XV., "The North Mexican States;" 
vol. xvii., " Arizona and New Mexico ; " vol. 
XXV., " Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming ; " and 
vols, xxvii. and xxviii. 



CONTENTS. 



List of Illustrations ix 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Land op the Cliff-Dwellers 11 

II. Spanish Exploration ....... 17 

III. Spanish Occupancy ... 27 

IV. Anglo-American Exploration ..... 34 
V. Wild Tribes 47 

VI. Pueblo Tribes .....,..,. 53 

VIL Explorations in the San Juan Region . 65 

VIII. The San Juan Mountains 78 

IX. Mangos Valley ........... 97 

X. The Ute Indians 107 

XT. Mangos Canon . , 120 

XII. AcowiTZ Canon 127 

XIIL Cliff Canon 139 

XIV. Navajo Canon .146 

XV. Archaeological Notes 156 

XVI. The Mesa Verde . 174 

INDEX ....'.... , 183 



LIST or ILLUSTKATIONS. 



P])0totUpC0. 
Cliff-Palace "Frontispiece 

Facing page 

Cliff Canon 11 

In a Colorado Canon 27 

Ute Indians ... 47 

Potosi Peak 65 

Mount Snaefell 78 

Mesa Verde, from Mancos 97 

Ute " Wickyups " • ... 107 

Sandal Cliff-House 120 

Cliff-Palace 139 

Loop-Hole Fort 146 

Mesa Verde 174 

iPl)ot0=en3ra&in00. 

Coronado's Route (Map) • . . 12 

Stone Steps, Navajo Caiion 14 

Terraced Houses, Zuiii 17 

Spanish Bayonet 20 

Ruins of Adobe Mission Church . 24 



viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Facing page 

A Moqui Village 28 

Sheep on the Plains 30 

Zuui 34 

Pueblo Woman and Adobe House ....... 41 

In Navajo Canon 50 

A New Mexican Pueblo 53 

Ruin in Navajo Cailon 60 

San Juan River and Mountains (Map) 66 

PotosiPeak 70 

In Animas Caiiou 72 

Uncoinpabgre Peak 82 

View from Uncorapabgre Peak . 84 

Cabin in the San Juau Mountains 86 

Mount Suaefell 88 

An Arete on Mount Suaefell 92 

La Plata Mountains, from Mancos 98 

Valley Ruins 102 

Mancos Canon 104 

Tower in Mancos Caiion 108 

Loop-Hole CUfif House 110 

Cinching Pack ... 114 

Plan of First Cliff DweUmg 122 

Canons of the Mancos River (Map) . .... 123 

Estufa, Sandal Cliff-House 124 

Interior of Round Room .... , , . . . 125 

View in Acowitz Canon ........... 127 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. IX 

Facing page 

Fortification, Acowitz Caiiou 128 

An Upper Ledge, Acowitz Canou 130 

A Primitive Griudstoue 135 

Plan of Part of Cliff House 136 

An Impregnable Tort 137 

Cliff- Palace, from opposite side of Canon 140 

Interior of Round Room 142 

Mural Decoration 143 

Cliff Palace, North End .... 144 

Projecting Timbers, Navajo Cailon 148 

Stone Pier 150 

Plastered and Painted Wall 152 

Corner Fireplace 154 

Fastened Door 155 

Spruce-Tree in Navajo Canon 156 

Ruin in Navajo Cailon 158 

Fragments of Painted and Corrugated Pottery . . . 160 

Indented Jar, Stone Axe, and OUa 162 

Fragments of Painted Ware 164 

Relics from Cliff-Dwellings 166 

Matting, Basket Work, Sandal, and Wooden Needles . 168 

In Acowitz Canon 170 

Our "Outfit" 176 

Tower in Cliff-Palace 180 



THE 



LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

BEYOND the southern Rockies, where Utah, 
Arizona, and New Mexico border upon 
Colorado's frontier lines, is a strange land, in- 
habited by strange people, and containing monu- 
ments and relics of yet stranger tribes of an 
unknown antiquity. 

From the melting snows of lofty sierras, rivers 
far larger than those of the present day once ran 
to the south and west, cutting out in the sand- 
stone plateau a network of canons that gives to 
the landscape an appearance resembling the face 
of the moon. Among some of these deep cuts 
and weird valleys dwell remnants of wild tribes 
which once hunted among the mountains to the 



12 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

north and east. All along the banks of the San 
Juan Eiver and some of its tributaries are gathered 
bands of the Ute Indians, who, in more remote dis- 
tricts, far from the agencies of the reservation, still 
live a primitive life. Over the Colorado line in 
Arizona is the reservation of the Navajos, and to 
the south and west of these are the pueblos of 
the Zuhis, Moquis, and other tribes. These latter 
live in communistic towns built of stone and 
adobe, and some of them, at least, are supposed 
to be the descendants of the prehistoric race, — 
a once great people, the ruins of whose edifices 
are found here upon cliff and in valley through- 
out a broad zone. In fact, this field of ruins 
extends from the Sierra Nevada range on the 
west to Texas on the east, the existing pueblo 
towns occupying but a small portion of this great 
territory. These, as well as the ruins of similar 
recently abandoned adobe and rubble buildings 
in the valleys and on the mesas, are very inter- 
esting ; yet remains of cliff-dwellings among the 
caiions are the prehistoric factors which are by 
far more fascinating.^ 

^ In using the term "prehistoric" in these pages, I am not 
implying any great age to the relics and ruins, but maintain 
that they antedate the coming of the Spaniards, that there 
are no written records in regard to them, and that traditions 
are very meagre. 




CORONADC 




ROUTE 



THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 13 

Imagine a lone traveller, having crossed the 
great Continental Divide, pursuing his way west- 
ward over the lofty plain. At his back are the 
mighty crests of the San Juan Mountains. Eising 
here and there from the dreary level are strange, 
weird volcanic rocks, alone relieving the seem- 
ingly endless area of desert. As he crosses feeble 
watercourses, rivulets that are making their way 
toward the great Colorado Eiver to mingle at last 
with the gentle surf of the Pacific, he may see an 
occasional ranch, with horses or cattle feeding 
near the water. On drier pasture he may find 
sheep feeding on the scant herbage, guarded by 
Navajo herders. These, and perhaps a jack- 
rabbit or a prairie-dog colony, are all that he 
will see to relieve the treeless country and the 
awful stillness and parchedness of the sage-brush 
plain. If he is ignorant of the existence of the 
former populations, our traveller may imagine for 
the moment that this land has always been given 
over to the antelope, the coyote, the prairie-dog, 
and the lizard. But as he meditates, his horse's 
hoofs clink among broken pottery, and, if he will 
but bend from his saddle, he will see in profusion 
the fragments of the ware of the prehistoric 
tribes, specimens of varied form, both of indented 
ware and of quaint painted design. As he threads 



14 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

his way over the plain, he will note here and there 
the burial-mounds and the irrigating works of a 
departed people, and will find arrow-points and 
other relics in profusion. As he wanders through 
canons he will see, now upon the right, and again 
upon the left, long lines of steps and stairways 
leading to apparently inaccessible eyries upon 
the cliffs above. Crowning the cliffs, and built 
upon the canon's brink, he will catch sight of 
picturesque towers, from whose walls the primi- 
tive sentinels watched and guarded the ap- 
proaches to peaceful valleys below. Everywhere 
evidence will be given that savage warriors once 
struggled and battled for the possession of the 
land. 

Of all the localities where ruins of cliff-dwell- 
ings are found, it is in southwestern Colorado 
and northern New Mexico that the best-pre- 
served structures are to be met; and to circum- 
scribe the limits still closer, it is in that section 
of Colorado which is embraced by the Mesa 
Verde, a plateau through which Mancos Canon 
has cut its way, that the grandest as well as the 
most picturesquely situated ruins have been dis- 
covered. This, in connection with the fact that 
this land of canons and mesas is surrounded on 
the north and east by one of the most beavitiful 




STONE STEPS, NAVAJO CANON. 



THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 15 

mountain chains in the world, renders the country 
a most fascinating field for the explorer. 

It is proposed in this volume to give the record 
of two summers' personal experience amid the 
scenes once familiar to the eyes of the Cliff- 
Dwellers. Drawn thither both by a love for the 
mountains and canons and by an amateur's 
interest in archaeology, my narrative will include 
the twofold experience of the climber and the 
interested seeker for new archaeological wonders. 
As no compact volume has as yet, so far as I am 
aware, presented the attractive story of the dis- 
covery and development of this novel country, I 
will venture to preface my descriptions with a 
short account of the advent of the Spaniards in 
the southwest, of their occupancy, and then later 
of the entrance of our own countrymen upon the 
scene, together with some discussion of the wild 
tribes and pueblo towns as found by the early 
explorers, or as observed more recently by visit- 
ing students of archieology. If the reader thinks 
that some of these matters have little connection 
with the story of the vanished people and their 
ruins and relics, let him remember that the early 
explorers and settlers hovered closely about the 
Land of the Cliff-Dwellers. Though they rarely 
penetrated within its borders, their experiences 



16 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

are of interest as increasing our knowledge of the 
country and its inhabitants. We may infer that 
the nomads of the desert plains, mountain val- 
leys, and rugged canons, the ancestors of those 
encountered by Pike and the pioneers of the 
Santa Y6 trail, influenced the destinies of the Clift- 
Dwellers ; while some of the dwellers in fixed 
habitations are possibly the direct descendants 
of the Men of the Cliff. 



CHAPTER II. 

SPANISH EXPLORATION. 

ALAEGE, increasing, and interesting litera- 
ture has grown up pertaining to the geol- 
ogy, geography, and arcliaeology of the Southwest. 
The archaeology, however, bears more especially 
upon the inhabited pueblos, such as those of the 
Taos, Moqui, and Zuili Indians, — races known 
in early times to the Spaniards through rumors 
brought to the ears of Nuilo de Guzman in 1530, 
when he was at the head of affairs in Mexico. ^ 

Before this date, though Cortez and his fol- 
lowers had heard legends of Amazons who were 
supposed to dwell to the north of Mexico,^ it 
does not appear that they had heard of the semi- 
civilized tribes of the North, and it was an Indian 
slave of Guzman's who first gave reports that im- 
pelled that leader to undertake an expedition to 

1 Narrative and Critical History of America, edited by Justin 
Winsor, article Early Exploration of New Mexico, by Henry W. 
Haynes, vol. ii. pp. 474 et seq. 

2 Bandelier, vol. v. pp. 1 and 2. 

2 



18 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLEKS. 

prove the truth of the stories, and possibly to ex- 
tend his domain. Guzman was at enmity with 
Cortez, and was anxious to accomplish some great 
work that should gain him favor at the Spanish 
court. Tejos, the Indian slave, whose father was 
a trader among the Indians, stated that he had 
accompanied him, and seen cities equal to Mex- 
ico itself, where gold and silver were abundant. 
The allurement was so strong that Guzman organ- 
ized an expedition to explore the Far North. His 
force amounted to four hundred Spaniards and 
twenty thousand Indians ^ On account of the dif- 
ficulties which beset their path, the army did not 
reach a point beyond Colombo, and then returned. 
Guzman now disappears from the history of the 
Southwest ; the new viceroy, Antonio de Men- 
doza, superseded him with Vasquez de Coronado. 
Mendoza was a man of great sagacity and capa- 
city. He was anxious to extend the domain of 
New Spain ; and now came news through a chan- 
nel which gave another impulse to Northern 
exploration. 2 Antonio Nunez Cabeza de Vaca 
arrived upon the scene, and his name blazed out 
in the annals of the Southwest. He was with 

1 Winsor, vol. ii. p. 472. Bancroft, vol. xv. p. 28, gives the 
force as five hundred Spaniards and ten thousand allies 

2 Winsor, vol. ii. p. 474. 



SPANISH EXPLORATION. 19 

Narvaez' ill-fated expedition, most of whose mem- 
bers were lost or scattered in Florida or along 
the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. After 
many adventures and much wandering, he found 
himself west of the Mississippi. With three 
companions, Dorantes, Maldonado, and a negro 
named Estevan, he made his way westward to 
the Pacific coast. His route lay far south of the 
pueblo homes ; but in some part of his journey 
rumors reached him of cities to the north either 
still existing or in ruins ; and, on reaching the 
Spanish settlements, adventurers there were in- 
cited to further efforts to explore what is now 
known as New Mexico.^ "^ 

This information being transmitted to Mendoza, 
he communicated the same to Coronado, who in 
1539 organized a preliminary expedition. As 
guide he secured the services of Estevan, the 
negro who had been one of Cabeza de Vaca's 
comrades. The Franciscan monks, eager to pro- 
pagate the Catholic faith, sent two of their num- 
ber, Fray Marcos and Fray Honoratos. These 
three were accompanied by some natives who had 
followed Cabeza de Vaca to Mexico. It is stated 
that the small party were thus enabled to converse 
with the tribes among whom they were to dwell, 

^ Bandelier, vol. v. pp. 25 et seq. 



20 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

and through whose country they were to pass. 
The party grew in numbers as it advanced, and 
after many adventures the negro Estevan, who 
proceeded some days in advance of the monks, 
reached the famed Seven Cities of CiboLa. Es- 
tevan was murdered, and Fray Marcos, after 
viewing the pueblos from a distance, withdrew, 
and returned to Compostello. 

From Fray Marcos' report we have our first 
knowledge of the New Mexican pueblos , and upon 
his return Coronado organized a new expedition, 
which penetrated into New Mexico, and finally, 
in search of the mythical city of Quivira, far be- 
yond to the land of the Pawnees in Kansas and 
Nebraska. The prime cause of this invasion was 
a thirst for gold and riches, which the stories of 
the Indian Tejos and the reports of Fray Marcos 
(who, however, had no intention of fraud) led 
them to believe were to be found in the land of 
the Seven Cities of Cibola. These treasure-seekers 
were doomed to disappointment.^ 

Coronado's army found things entirely different 
from what was expected. Where populous towns 

1 Winsor, vol. ii. p. 475 et seq. For an interesting study of 
the journey of Fray Marcos, see Bandelier, voL v. chap. iv. Ac- 
cording to this authority, the priest has been much maligned, 
and has further suffered at the hands of his translators. 



SPANISH EXPLORATION. 21 

were supposed to exist, ruins were found, and 
when Cibola was reached, the disappointment was 
still greater. The natives were hostile, and it 
became necessary to carry the pueblos by storm. 
This was soon accomplished, though in the assault 
the leader nearly lost his life. The Spaniards 
found their armor of service, for it protected them 
from the stones which were hurled down upon 
them from the terraced buildings. None of the 
Spaniards were killed, though some were wounded, 
and they lost a few horses. 

The Moqui towns were explored from this 
point by Pedro de Tobar. This province was re- 
duced. Here the Spaniards heard of the Colorado 
Eiver, and G-arcia Lopez de Cardenas was sent to 
explore it.^ Melchior Diaz also explored the 
Colorado Eiver nearer to its source, and gave it 
the name Kio del Tizon. In this expedition he 
lost his life.2 

Besides Cibola and Tusayan, Coronado's forces 
visited Tiguex, Cicuye, and Acoma. At Tiguex, 
troubles with the natives resulted in a hard 
fight.3 

1 Wiusor, vol. ii. pp. 480-484 ; Bandelier, vol. v. chap. iv. 
pp. 106 et scq. 

2 Bancroft, vol. xvii. p. 39. 
^ Winsor, pp. 490 et scq. 



22 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Coronaclo did not linger long in the pueblo 
country, for rumors reached the army of the exist- 
ence of a city called Quivira, which lay far across 
the plains to the northeast ; and his forces took 
up their march in that direction. The army was 
under the guidance of a lying native whom the 
Spaniards, from his resemblance to the people of 
the Bosphorus, called "the Turk." This Indian 
claimed to be a native of a country a thousand 
miles to the eastward, and told fabulous stories 
of Quivira and its gold and silver.^ An Indian 
named Xabe partially corroborated the stories of 
El Turco ; but another Indian guide, Sopete, who 
accompanied Coronado's expedition, pronounced 
" the Turk " a falsifier. The adventurers did not 
place much reliance upon the stories of Sopete, 
for the Querechos, a tribe of the Apaches, con- 
firmed the statements of the romancer.^ 

Coronado's army left the banks of the Eio 
Grande on May 5, 1541. For days and days the 
troops marched across the plains. Wandering 
bands of Querechos and Teyas were met with. 
These people lived in tents of skin, and hunted 
the buffalo to gain subsistence. In the middle of 

^ Bancroft, vol. xvii. pp. 51, and Prince, History of New 
Mexico, p. 129. 
2 Bancroft, vol. xvii. p. 60. 



SPANISH EXPLOKATION. 23 

June the main army, under Arellanno, was left 
behind, and soon returned to New Mexico, while 
Coronado, with some threescore selected followers, 
pursued the onward march. Immense herds of 
buffalo were passed, which seemed to increase in 
numbers as progress was made inland. The army 
finally reached Quivira, which turned out to be a 
collection of Indian villages composed of huts or 
wigwams of straw. The tribes occupying them 
are supposed to have been the Pawnees.^ Dis- 
comfited by the results of the expedition, Coro- 
nado returned to New Mexico, There he met 
with an accident, which soon afterwards caused 
him to return to New Spain. 

Thus we have an account of an expedition 
crossing the entire Western border, and skirting 
the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. This 
was in 1541, seventy-nine years before the Pilgrims 
landed on Plymouth Rock, and a few years before 
Cabrillo pushed his way up the California coast 
to latitude 44° '■^ For a period of a century and 
three quarters the sources of information of this 
section of the country are principally Castaiieda's 
report of this invasion. Even in the early part of 

1 Prince, History of New Mexico, pp. 140 etc.; Bancroft, vol. 
xvii. pp. 61 etc. ; Simpson's Coronado's March. 

2 Bancroft, vol. xxvii.; Hist. Northwest Coast, vol. i. p. 14. 



24 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLEES. 

this century, European cyclopEedists have noth- 
ing to add in the way of information in regard 
to what is now the geographical centre of the 
United States. Lengthy articles on the Pacific 
States grace their pages, yet the mighty ranges of 
the central Cordilleras are barely mentioned as 
the Stony Mountains. The chain was described 
as a prolongation of the Andes, and the desig- 
nation " Stony " considered inappropriate. Ac- 
knowledging that little was known, the writers 
stated that the range rose in northern New Mex- 
ico and reached the Arctic Ocean. They slurred 
Pike's reports and belittled the value of his work, 
because his expedition was scantily supplied with 
philosophical instruments. The plains at the 
base of the mountains were supposed to be about 
thirty-five hundred feet above the sea, and the 
peaks supposed to rise to the same altitude above 
the sandstone floor, — this, upon the authority of 
Humboldt, who guessed that the altitude was 
between six thousand and seven thousand feet 
above sea-leveL He conjectured within fifty per 
centum of the true values.^ 

After Coronado's expedition, two Franciscan 
monks, with Chamuscado, a miner, with others, 
ventured into New Mexico. This was in 1581. 
1 Edinburgh Encyclopedia, 1832, vol. xv. p. 565. 



SPANISH EXPLORATION. 25 

They visited the pueblo districts, where the 
friars remained. They died as martyrs to their 
faitli. 

In 1582, in order to discover the fate of the 
missing monks, Espejo organized an expedition on 
his own account to explore New Mexico. At the 
pueblo towns he received information of the pre- 
vious visit of Coronado. At Zuni (Cibola) were 
found Indians who had accompanied Coronado 
forty years previous. Espejo also went to Moqui, 
and visited in all seventy-four pueblos. He gave 
the population as two hundred and fifty thou- 
sand, which is unquestionably far above the 
true number. The results of Espejo's expedition, 
accompanied as he was by but fifteen persons, 
were of as much importance as those obtained 
by Coronado with his great army. ^ 

About 1595 we have partial records of another 
Spanish expedition. Captain Bonilla was sent 
against the Indians of the plains ; but dazzled by 
reports of wealth among the northern tribes, he 
exceeded his instructions and took his way toward 
the Missouri. The Spanish governor of Vizcaya 
(northern Mexico) sent Cazorla to order him 
home ; but the buccaneer heeded not, and in an 
altercation with a subordinate named Humaiia, 
1 Bancroft, vol. xvii. chap. iv. 



26 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

the leader was killed, and the victor took com- 
mand of the troop. The narrative states that they 
crossed a broad river on a raft. At this juncture 
three Indians who had accompanied the expedi- 
tion from New Mexico deserted. Only one of 
these reached the settlements again, and informed 
Ohate, the governor, of the affair. While the 
on-going party were encamped on the ]3lains, a 
large force of Indians set fire to the ci;rass and 
then attacked them, destroying all but Alonzo 
Sanchez and a half-breed girl. Afterwards the 
natives made Sanchez a chief. All that we know 
of this doubtful part of the story comes from 
him.^ 

1 Bancroft, voL xvii. p. 108. 




IN A COLORADO CANON. 



CHAPTER III. 

SPANISH OCCUPANCY. 

DURING the closing years of the sixteenth 
century, New Mexico was actually taken 
possession of by the Spaniards. The leader was 
Juan de Onate. His wife was Isabel, a grand- 
daughter of Cortez, and a great-granddaughter of 
Montezuma. The greatest resistance to the Span- 
iards was at Acoma, where the battle lasted two 
days. On account of their weapons and armor, 
the loss of the Spaniards was slight. Many of 
the Indians were killed, and the pueblo was fin- 
ally surrendered.^ The natives generally were 
found comparatively friendly, though one of them, 

1 Bancroft, vol. xvii. chapter vii. , Onate's Conquest, pp. 128 
etseq. Capt. John G. Bourke, in his delightful book, "On the 
Border with Crook," describes a suit of armor in his possession 
which was undoubtedly worn by a Spanish soldier of the six- 
teenth century. It was found some twenty years ago near the 
Rio Grande. The skeleton of the owner was in the armor. 
Bourke considers that the armor belonged to a soldier of Espejo's 
or Onate's expedition. Later the Spaniards used the cotton- 
batting covering of the Aztecs, which was light in weight, and 
offered sufficient protection against arrows. 



28 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Zutucapan, endeavored to raise a general con- 
spiracy against the invaders. 

Colonists now thronged in, bringing with them 
cattle, horses, and sheep, and in 1601 Onate led 
an expedition across the prairie, which occupied 
the season from June until October. Travelling 
northeast, he reached latitude 39° or 40°. Santa 
Y6 was founded at some time between the years 
1605 and 1616. It is stated that in 1617 the 
friars had built eleven churches and converted 
fourteen thousand natives.^ 

It is stated that when the Spaniards became 
thoroughly intrenched in their position, many of 
the natives were forced into slavery and com- 
pelled to work in mines. Doubt has been cast 
upon the assertion that mines were worked by the 
aborigines or by the Spaniards in these early days. 
It is probable that the aborigines confined them- 
selves largely to the mining of free metals. Sil- 
ver was obtained near the surface at a number of 
mines. Gold and copper were found in a similar 
manner, and in such condition that they could be 
hammered into varied forms. But tliere is some 
evidence to show that the Spaniards, after con- 

1 It is sometimes stated that Santa Fe is the oldest city in 
the United States ; but this is not so : compare St. Augustine, 
founded about 1565. 



SPANISH OCCUPANCY. 29 

quering the natives, forced them to work mines, 
and that after the successful rebellion of the pue- 
blos, these mines were closed.^ I am indebted 
to my friend Dr. F. M. Endlich, formerly connec- 
ted with Hayden's Survey, and at present mana- 
ger of the Yankee Boy Mining Co., of Ouray, for 
the following interesting bit of information : — 

In the neighborhood of Cook's Peak in New 
Mexico he started to open up some lead mines. 
After having driven a tunnel to about eighty feet, 
he sank a winze from the same to a depth of 
about twenty feet. One day the winze, and the 
men in it, suddenly disappeared. There was a 
commotion in camp, and upon investigation it 
was found that the bottom of the winze had 

1 I am aware that this is heresy, — an opinion that is in conflict 
with that lield by the best authorities ; still, so many American 
and Mexican tribes used and wrouglit the precious metals that 
I see no reason why the Pueblo Indians, or at least the Spaniards 
of that day, might not have discovered and worked mines, if 
only to a limited extent. See foot-note, p. 50, in regard to 
the Navajo silver-workers. Also compare articles by Carl Lum- 
holtz in "Scribner's Magazine," vol. x., November, 1891, p. 583, 
and Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, vol. xxiii. 
p. 388. This writer calls attention to the rumored existence of 
the mines of Vajnopa and Tayopa in the Sierra Madre of north- 
ern Mexico, which were owned by the Jesuits. " According to 
tradition, the Apaches killed every soul in these two mines." 
These mines, the existence of which is revealed by the study 
of Church records ami Spanish documents, have been entirely 
forgotten, and await re-discovery. 



30 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERa 

dropped out, and that the men had been carried 
with sliding dirt a distance of seventy feet. Fur- 
ther examination showed that these seventy feet 
were an old stope containing Indian potsherds and 
stone tools ; no trace of metal tools was found. 
The superintendent then abandoned that portion 
of the mine, and went farther up hill to sink a 
shaft on the same vein, at a spot where stood 
a juniper-tree apparently two or three hundred 
years old. He had the tree cut down, sank a 
shaft, and in eighteen feet struck ancient work- 
ings again. 

Apart from the native metals, the ores which 
the Spaniards particularly sought were carbonates 
of lead, — ores which they thoroughly understood 
and were accustomed to smelt. Many a mine in 
Arizona and New Mexico bears traces of old Span- 
ish workings. Lead mines, however, furnished a 
much better material for the reduction of silver, 
which was one of the perquisites beyond all others 
of the Spanish conquerors. 

In time the Spanish rule became oppressive, and 
several of the friars who had established missions 
at the pueblo towns were murdered. About 1672 
the Apaches invaded the district, destroyed sev- 
eral of these towns, and some of the friars were 
killed. In time, the pueblos revolted against 




Vf.^4- 




SPANISH OCCUPANCY. 31 

their foreign masters, and succeeded in driving 
them away. Hundreds of the Spaniards were 
massacred, and the survivors fled into the south- 
ern valleys. The leader of the natives was named 
Pope. After the retreat of the Spaniards, the 
Estufas (the Council and Eeligious Chambers 
of the pueblos) were re-opened, and the churches 
and crosses were destroyed. In 1692 the coun- 
try was re-conquered by Diego de Vargas, and the 
power of the pueblo tribes, as far as united effort 
was concerned,was forever crushed. From 1687 to 
1711 the Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino 
accomplished much in the way of establishing 
missions in Sonora, near the borders of Arizona, 
and paved the way for the sway of the monks. ^ 

In 1698 the Spaniards feared invasion by the 
French from Louisiana, and in 1700 the Apaches 
told of an Indian village that had been destroyed 
by them.2 In 1719 Valverde, with over a hun- 
dred Spaniards, and with the assistance of the 
Apaches, waged strife with the Yutahs and Coman- 
ches. In this warfare he skirted the eastern base 
of the Rocky Mountains, and is thought to have 
reached a more northern point than any of the 

1 Bancroft, vol. xvii. pp. 352-354. 

2 La Salle discovered the mouth of the Mississippi in 1682, 
and was murdered in Texas in 1687. 



32 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

previous explorers. On the banks of a river, 
probably the Arkansas, he came upon men who 
had received gunshot wounds at the hands of the 
French or their Indian allies. It was about this 
time that all the country west of the Mississippi 
was claimed by the French. The same year that 
Valverde crossed the plains, Du Tissenet was 
sent from New Orleans to explore the regions to 
the north.^ Doubtless it was his expedition that 
was reported by the Indians of the plains to the 
Spanish on the frontier of New Mexico, and we 
learn that they sent a caravan fron Santa Fd in 
the following year to put a stop to the encroach- 
ments of the French. Historians do not entirely 
agree in stating the facts in regard to this expedi- 
tion. Some write that the Spaniards blundered,^ 
and that the Missouri Indians, who were friendly 
to the French, treacherously fell upon them and 
destroyed all but one man, a priest, who escaped 
to Santa Fe and preserved the records. 

From this time on, till the coming of the Amer- 
icans, the history of the Spanish occupancy is 
made up of details of the misrule of the priests 
and the sorrowful story of Indian wars. But in a 
country where, on account of climatic conditions, 

1 Bancroft, vol. xvii. p. 222. 

2 HoUoway, History of Kansas, p. 88 ; Spring, Kansas, p. 20. 



SPANISH OCCUPANCY. 33 

wants were few, the people, by the aid of irriga- 
tion, without any very hard labor and with the 
help of their burros, sheep, and cattle, eked out 
a comfortable subsistence. A system of serfdom 
called " peonage " (voluntary servitude for debt) 
grew up, and thus the cattle and sheep owners 
were able to have their herds taken care of at 
little expense.^ 

1 Scribner's Magazine, vol. x., No. 6, p. 769, — C. F. 
Lummis. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ANGLO-AMEEICAN EXPLORATION. 

THERE is some evidence that an Indian of the 
Missouri valley traversed the country to the 
waters of the Columbia, and between the years 
1745 and 1750 descended that great river to the 
Pacific. This is the only case where we learn of 
an Indian finding a transcontinental pathway. If 
the report is true, he forestalled even the French 
of Canada, for it was not until 1752 that there 
was established a fort at the base of the Rockies 
in British Columbia, and not until 1793 did Mac- 
kensie cross the Northern Rockies and the Cana- 
dian Selkirks,^ though he thus anticipated by 
some twelve years those adventurous travellers 
from within our own borders, Lewis and Clarke. 

Not a trapper from our own frontier had even 
reached the base of the Rockies before 1800. Is 
it not strange that, with New Mexico, the Pacific 
States, even parts of the bleak Alaskan shores, 
comparatively well known, with the French trap- 

1 Bancroft, Northwest Coast, vol. i. (xxvii.) pp. 26, 28. 




V \^ '. 




ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPLOKATION. 35 

pers girdling the continent in British America, 
and La A^drendrye sighting the mountains about 
the sources of the Yellowstone, nevertheless the 
great Central Plain and the highway through 
South Pass were entirely unknown ? jSTo white 
man had ever looked upon the great peaks of the 
Front and Wind River ranges. Perhaps it is not 
strange that the Canadians extended their frontier 
so much faster than the Americans, for they con- 
trolled the great highway by the Lakes ; while we 
know that when the first Continental Congress 
assembled, there were but two or three hundred 
Americans west of the Alleghanies,^ and even at 
the end of the war of the Revolution the greater 
part of what is now the United States was under 
the dominion of Spain. 

The first man to reach the Rockies by the 
way of the Platte River was La Lande from 
Kaskaskia. ' Between Louisiana and New Mexico 
there had been no trading communications be- 
fore 1800, though both parties had established 
flourishing commerce with the Indians. But 
in 1804 William Morrison of Kaskaskia sent 
Baptiste La Lande, a French creole, with mer- 
chandise, directing him to reach Santa F^ if 
possible, and to establish trade at that point. 
^ Roosevelt, The Winning of the West, vol. ii. p. 370. 



36 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

He succeeded in reacliing the Eockies, and meet- 
ing with Indians, despatched them to Santa F^ 
with the news of the arrival of a merchant from 
the Far East. Being well received, he disposed 
of his goods at fabulous prices, and, charmed by 
some lovely brunettes of the town, he decided to 
remain in the country ; and leaving his employer 
to whistle for his money, appropriated the gains 
of his journey.^ 

In 1802 a Ken tuckian, James Purseley, and two 
hunters set out from the Mississippi for a hunt- 
ing expedition on the Osage Eiver. The Kansas 
Indians stole their horses, but by heroic efforts 
Purseley recovered at least his own. The next 
year we find him with a horde of Indians hunt- 
ing and trading on the Platte. The Sioux uncere- 
moniously drove this mixed assemblage into the 
mountains. They finally reached the northern 
boundary of New Mexico, and Purseley went 
ahead to feel the pulse of the Spaniards. He was 
received by Governor Alencaster in a friendly 
manner, and the whole band, following after, 
spent considerable time in satisfactory trade. 

1 Bancroft, vol. xvii. p. 291 ; Prince, History of New Mexico, 
p. 267 ; Bancroft, vol. xxv. p. 351. Two trappers. Workman 
and Spencer, were the first Americans to cross the Rockies south 
of Lewis and Clarke's Pass. 



ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPLORATION. 37 

Purseley had had enough of the savages, and 
decided to rest at Santa F4. He had found gold 
on the tributaries of the Platte, and carried some 
of the grains in his shot-pouch for many months, 
but finally threw the sample away. Having cas- 
ually alluded to the subject to some Spaniards 
they urged him to show them the place of dis- 
covery. He refused, perhaps for patriotic reasons, 
thinking the land belonged to his own country- 
men instead of to the New Mexicans. He after- 
wards told the truth to Lieutenant Pike.^ 

Eumors of intended exploration on the part of 
the United States, and reports that the Burr con- 
spiracy might change the Spanish frontier, led the 
Spaniards in 1806 to send Lieutenant Melgares, 
with a force of one hundred dragoons, from Chi- 
huahua, — not to fight the Indians of the plains, 
but to Conciliate them. This commander was 
joined by five hundred militia. He descended 
the Ked Eiver, took counsel of the Comanches, 
who had been practically useful in giving infor- 
mation of the intentions of the Americans, and 
then crossed northward to the Arkansas. He 
visited the nation of the Pawnees, presented the 
tribesmen with medals and flags, and gave a com- 
mission to their head chief. It is unfortunate that 
1 Prince, History of Xew Jlexico, pp. 268-270. 



38 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

this little army could not have been captured by 
the United States troops just as Pike's force was 
afterwards entrapped by the New Mexicans on 
the headwaters of the Eio Grande. Melgares 
afterwards returned by the Arkansas to the 
Rocky Mountains, and thence to Santa F^.^ 
In this expedition no American explorers or 
filibusters were met with ; but considering the 
great distance travelled, this survey of terri- 
tory rivals in importance the journeys of Lewis 
and Clarke, and that of Pike.^ 

Lieutenant Pike, after his journey to the sources 
of the Mississippi, took command, at the request of 
his chief. General "Wilkinson, of an expedition to 
the Eockies. In the middle of October, 1805, he 
caught glimpses of the Rocky Mountains, and after- 
wards, among its snows, encountered many hard- 
ships. On the 3d of December he measured 
the height of the mountain to which his name 
had been given, and which will keep his memory 
constantly before his countrymen. He soon after- 
wards crossed the thirty-eighth parallel, and found 
himself and his. followers in New Mexican terri- 
tory, and, as prisoners, led to Santa Pe." 

1 Bancroft, vol. xvii. pp. 285-286 ; Prince, History of New 
Mexico, p. 248. 

2 Prince, p. 248. 

3 Prince, pp. 249-252 ; Bancroft, vol. xxv. p. 344, and vol. 
xxvii. pp. 293-296. 



ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPLORATION. 39 

Now that these preliminary journeys of La 
Lande, Purseley, and Pike were known, trade 
with Santa Fe began ; especially from the infor- 
mation brought by the intrepid Pike was atten- 
tion called to the possible profits to be gained in 
such traffic. The oncoming American trader had 
this great advantage, that he was much nearer to 
New Mexico than his Southern competitors. The 
only other route by which goods could be received 
was by sea to Vera Cruz, thence overland to the 
city of Mexico, then by a tedious route to El Paso, 
and finally by caravans which once in six months 
travelled up the Rio Grande.^ Trade with Santa 
Pe gradually increased ; but on account of the hos- 
tility of the Indians, an armed escort was furnished 
by the Government.^ Previous to 1822, pack-mules 
only were used for the Santa Fe trade ; but in that 
year wagons were introduced. The trail became 
definitely marked in 1834, for during that season 
rain was continuous and the turf soft, so that the 
wagon-wheels cut deep ruts on the line of the 
most direct route, and these marks, deepened from 
year to year, were never obliterated while this 
route was used.'^ The wagons were drawn by 

1 Prince, p. 271. 

2 Gregg, Commerce of the Prairies, vol. i. pp. 29, 30, 31. 

3 Ibid., p. 311 (Philadelphia, 1851). 



40 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

mules or oxen. The distance from Council Grove 
to Santa F6 was about 625 miles ; the transit 
consumed about forty days. At first single parties 
ventured alone on the long journey ; but as the In- 
dian troubles thickened, it was customary for sev- 
eral " outfits " to join in one caravan. The stories 
of these adventurers are as interesting as the tale 
of any border life. Strange and dangerous as was 
such a career, participants were ever attracted 
back again to the free life on the broad prairie. 
The excitement and novelty of meeting the differ- 
ent tribes of Indians on the route, the chase of 
the bufialo, the stalking of the antelope, and the 
many novel sights and sounds tended to fascinate 
all who loved adventure. Stories of this trail 
through Kansas to Santa Fe have furnished facts 
for Mayne Eeid and Marryat. Beside the ani- 
mals indigenous to the plains the wild horse now 
took a place, and marvellous stories were told of 
the milk-white steed with black-tipped ears, the 
fleetest animal of the broad plains, that was the 
leader of one of the bands, that distanced all pur- 
suers.^ About this time trappers and hunters 
came to occupy a prominent place in the annals 

1 Gregg, voL ii. p. 207. This is an interesting bit of folk- 
lore described by Gregg. Within a few years I have heard 
similar stories in different parts of the West. 




k . '^ 





— *^ ' 

K .'■ 

... * 
' I 



PUEBLO WOMAN AND ADOBE HOU.^E 



ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPLORATION. 41 

of the region, some of them acting in the capacity 
of guides to various exploring parties. Among 
these was the famous Kit Carson.^ 

Now forts and trading posts began to be estab- 
lished near the base of tlw Eockies, — the Bents, 
St. Vrain and others being interested in the large 
fur-trade. Some of these structures, built for de- 
fence, were made of adobe, imitating the style of 
Mexican and pueblo architecture.^ 

The Mexicans had a farming establishment, 

1 Though living in my youth in a frontier town, one of the 
termini of the Santa Fe trail, my experience in the Rockies 
has been with the second generation of guides and hunters. 
William Carson, a son of the preceding, was my companion once 
in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Following his father's voca- 
tion for some years, he was a scout in campaigns against the Utes ; 
hut after the close of Indian warfare he settled down at Fort 
Garland, near Sierra Blanca. Since my trip with him he has met 
bis death, caused by the accidental discharge of a pistol. 

2 H. H. Bancroft, History of Nevada, Colorado, and AVyoming, 
vol. XXV. This writer quotes (p. 354) from Farnham's " Travels 
in the Great Western Prairies," p. 35 : "The author of this 
book was at Fort William in 1839, and wrote accurately of 
what he saw." 

" In the months of June, August, and September there are in 
the neighborhood of those traders from fifteen thousand to twenty 
thousand savages ready and panting for plunder and blood. If 
they engage in battling out old causes of contention among them- 
selves, the Messrs. Bent feel comparatively safe in their solitary 
fortress. But if they spare each other's property and lives, there 
are great anxieties at Fort William ; every hour of day and night 
is pregnant with danger." 



42 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLEES, 

connected with the trading post, called El Pueblo. 
This was located where the Colorado city of Pueblo 
now stands.^ Grants of large tracts of land were 
made to private individuals by the Mexican Gov- 
ernment ; such are the claims known as the Beau- 
bien,^ Vigil, St. Vrain, and Luis Maria Baca grants. 
The last-named is now known as "The Gilpin 
Eanch," its later owner having acquired it by 
purchase. It is situated in San Luis Park, the fer- 
tile lands lying under the shadow of the mighty 
Sangre de Cristo range, the noble Crestone Peak 
being included in the alpine domain. The north- 
ern border of the ranch lies along the thirty-eighth 
parallel, which formerly marked the southern 
limits of the United States territory in this sec- 
tion of country. This boundary line is now 
marked by a barbed wire fence.^ 

1 For a vivid account of this post, see " Lippincott's Magazine," 
December, 1880, "Historical Eocky Mountain Outpost," by 
George Rex Buckman. 

2 Bancroft, vol. xxv. p. 594. Lucien Maxwell married Beau- 
bien's daughter and purchased the great tract of land. "He 
erected a fine house on the Cimarron, where he entertained in 
good old feudal style, surrounded by his dependents, and own- 
ing immense herds of cattle, sheep, and blooded horses, employ- 
ing as herders all the Ciniarrons." 

3 One of my companions in many ascents of the Rockies once 
remarked of this fence, "One could not fail to run his eye with 
interest along the wire fence that marked its northern limit, 
when told that it was on the thirty-eighth parallel. For once a 



ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPLORATION. 43 

In 1821 Mexico, under the Iccadership of Itur- 
bide, a native Mexican, gained independence from 
Spain. In 1824 the republic was organized, which 
in a few years was recognized by the United 
States. In 1846 war was declared against Mexico 
by the United States, and General Kearney 
marched with a small army towards Santa Fd. 
It is not any part of this book to discuss politi- 
cal events, but let us consider for a moment the 
race of people whom he was to oppose. We have 
been regarding the conquerors of Mexico and 
of the lands to the north as Spaniards ; we must 
now speak of them as Mexicans, — and a strange 
people they were. The inhabitants of the Spanish 
peninsula had had engrafted into their stock 
many foreign elements. Originally Iberians and 
Celts, their lands were overrun by Vandals and 
Visigoths. Later the followers of Mahomet, 
in impetuous westward movements, overran 
northern Africa, and a Mohammedan people, the 
Moors, conquered Spain. For several centuries 
these Southern people lived in the conquered 
land, and though expelled in the fourteenth cen- 

parallel of latitude seemed to have a tangible existence, — if a 
barbed wire fence can be called 'tangible'" (" Appalacliia," 
vol. V. p. 267: " Through San Luis Park to Sierra Blanca," by 
Charles E. Fay). 



44 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLEliS. 

tury, their blood was mingled with that of the 
fairest chivalry of Spain. So among the Spanish 
conquerors in the New World were many knights 
whose ancestors had been followers of the Prophet, 
descendants of men who from the house-tops, and 
with their faces turned towards Mecca, called upon 
the name of Allah, 

Here in the land of the pueblos we find these 
descendants of the Moors, living in a land which 
may be compared in many ways to Arabian 
and African deserts, and, under the shadow of a 
mightier Sierra Madre than they saw in Spain, 
intermingling with and marrying the daughters 
of pueblo chiefs, of a race who also from the ter- 
races upon the house-tops made their prayers, 
and with their faces turned towards the east 
worshipped the rising sun.^ 

The history of the easy conquest of New 
Mexico by the Americans is well known, and 
the report of how the Mexicans ran away has 
impressed upon our own people the opinion that 

1 Castafieda chronicles that the pueblos had aged priests, 
persons who at sunrise ascended to the highest terraces of the 
villages, there to a silent and reverential people delivered a 
sermon, and gave them counsel on the way of living (Ternaux- 
Compans, vol. ix., "Relation"). 

Also compare "A Journal of American Ethnology and Archae- 
ology," J. Walter Fewkes, editor, vol. i. pp. 3, 4, 5. 



ANGLO-AMERICAN EXPLORATION. 45 

tliey were a cowardly race. Is it probable that 
a people descended from such renowned world- 
finders as were the Spanish cavaliers of only three 
centuries ago should have so degenerated ? Is it 
not more likely that the weakness of the New 
Mexicans was due to the quality of their leader- 
ship, and to the fact that there was little to bind 
them to the central government far in the south ? ^ 

After the American annexation, the country 
was visited by travellers and scientific observers. 
Well-equipped expeditions, sent out by the United 
States Government, explored many remote cor- 
ners, and the results as portrayed in difterent 
reports give us much information in regard to the 
archaeology of this fascinating land. 

Later the Bureau of Ethnology placed special 
investigators in the field, and their work is being 
recorded in beautifully illustrated volumes.^ 

1 This is the view of the Mexican character which is taken by 
Davis in "El Gringo," and by other authorities. For an inter- 
esting sketch of New Me.xico and its people of the present day, 
I would refer the reader to an article, by C. F. Lummis, in 
" Scribner's Magazine " for December, J 891. "Sun, silence, and 
adobe, — that is New Mexico in three words . . . Here is the land 
oi poco tiempo — the home of * Pretty Soon.' Why hurr)' with 
the hurrying world ? The ' pretty soon ' of New Spain is better 
tlian the ' Now ! Now ! ' of the liaggard States. The opiate sun 
soothes to rest, the adobe is made to lean against, the hush of 
day-long noon would not be broken." 

2 On account of the already too great length of these historical 



46 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

notes, I will not attempt to follow in detail the records of differ- 
ent exploring parties. It is sufficient that I refer and quote 
from them in the following pages, and at present simply mention 
some of them : — 

John R. Bartlett, " Personal Narrative of Explorations," etc.; 
Capt. L. Sitgreaves, "Report of an Expedition to the Zuni 
and Colorado Rivers;" Lieut. J. W. Abert, "Report of his 
Examination of New Mexico ; " Lieut.-Col. W. H. Emory, 
"Journal of a Military Reconnoissance;" J. W. Powell, "Ex- 
ploration of the Colorado of the West ; " Reports of Lieutenant 
Ives, Lieut. J. H. Simpson, Dr. Oscar Leow, Lieutenants Whip- 
ple and Birnie ; " Report upon United States Geographical 
Surveys," First Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler. In vol. vii. (Archfe- 
ology) is a valuable report on the pottery and relics of the 
Southwest, by Frederick W. Putnam. 

Of the workers in the ranks of the Bureau of Ethnology staff 
(those especially connected with the field work), mention may 
well be made of Mr. F. H. Gushing, widely known also for his 
Zuni studies, through many magazine articles ("The Cen- 
tury," vol. xxiv. pp. 526, " An Aboriginal Pilgrimage," and vol. 
XXV. p. 191, 500, " My Adventures in Zuni ") ; Mr. W. H. 
Holmes, whose writings upon pottery and other subjects are 
of the greatest value ; Victor Mindeleff; Cosmo Mindeleff ; and 
Mr. Hillers, the competent photographer. 



CHAPTEE V. 

WILD TEIBES. 

ALL tliroiigli the broad land covered by 
Corouado's march were found scattered 
either wild tribes or a semi-civilized people. 
Let us speak tirst of the former. 

In the southwest the Seris Indians were met 
with. They were by nature v ry fierce, and at 
times made havoc among the sedentary Indians 
of Sonora. In their warfare they used poisoned 
arrows.! The Tephuanas were ferocious savages, 
who cut off the heads of their stronger captives, 
and took the weaker ones for slaves. The 

1 That the Opates used them is fully established, and the 
counter-poison is also known. The custom appears to have 
been general with the tribes of Sonora, and the poison is 
described as mortal, though not in every instance. In addi- 
tion to the bow and arrow, the usual and well-known aboriginal 
weapons, the club, the shield, and possibly the sling, were 
handled by the Opates in warfare, and, like less sedentary 
tribes, they frequently set out in small war-parties, accompanied 
by a sorcerer or medicine-man. — Bandelicr, vol. iii. p. 70. 



48 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Opates used poisoned arrows and fortified ele- 
vated places, as is shown by remains in Sonora. 
The Tobosos of Chihuahua were also a very 
fierce people. ^ 

Farther to the north, within the present limits 
of Mexico and Arizona, lived the Apaches, — a 
nomad people who warred continually. The 
Apaches are of Tinneh stock, and the name by 
which we know them is not a word of their 
tongue, but was given to them by the Maricopas 
and passed over to us by the Mexicans. Their 
ancestors occupied lands in the frozen north, in 
British America, where they were a peaceable 
people. But after emigration to a more southern 
clime, the branch in Arizona and New Mexico 
became fighters, and being of a very wild nature, 
they have been able until very recently to hold 
their own against all comers. ^ From the date 
of the arrival of the Spaniards till the conquest 
by General Crook, the Apaches have been at 
enmity against the whites. ^ Of the several 
bands, the Tonto Apaches were the fiercest.* 
The Apache used primitive weapons, such as the 

1 Bandelier, vol. iii. pp. 74, 76, 82, 94, 95. 

2 Bourke, On the Border with Crook, pp. 113, 114. 

3 Ibid., p. 2. 

« Ibid., p. 129. 



WILD TRIBES. 49 

bow, arrow, and lance. He was clad very lightly, 
and he knew how to subsist upon the herbs and 
fruits of the country. Though in the western 
sections large game was scarce, wild turkeys, 
quails, and rabbits were plentiful.* A plant 
called the mescal was one of the main supplies 
of food. The Apaches have remarkably clear 
vision, and their mode of communication was 
by signal fires and smoke which shot up from 
the peaks and mesas. Dogs were used by them 
as beasts of burden. In the eastern section they 
lived almost entirely by the chase, continually 
following the buffalo.^ This animal gave them 
meat, clothing, fuel, and shelter ; from the bones 
they made their awls and arrow-points. The 
Apaches have intermarried with other tribes, 
especially with the Yumas and Mojaves. They 
ranged over a broad country, for Coronado met 
them in 1541 east of the pueblo of Pecos. 

Like all other tribes, these Indians were very 
superstitious, and the medicine-man was an 
important character. 

The Navajos, who were of the same stock as 
the Apaches, lived in the northern part of what 

1 Bourke, On the Border with Crook, pp. 129, 146. 

2 Baudelier, vol. iii. pp. 82, 178. 

4 



50 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

is now New Mexico. They formed a very power- 
ful tribe. They state that they once came from 
beyond the Sierra La Plata. They are a polyg- 
amous people, but their religious creed is some- 
thing like that of the pueblos. They irrigate the 
land, till it, and live at times in log-cabins. ^ 
They are blanket-weavers, and makers of pottery 
and baskets.^ 

Among other tribes were the Mojaves, Yumas, 
Hualapais, and Cosinos, Of these, the Hualapais 
dwelt in and about the Grand Caiion of Colorado. 
They were a brave people. Farther to the north 
were the Yutahs, who occupied a broad country 
in different branches, covering the whole of what 
is now Utah, and Colorado. In the West they 
were a degraded race, much allied in habits and 
customs to the Digger Indians. 

On the eastern borders the Ute Indians, as 

1 Bancroft, vol. i. p. 596 ; Bandelier, vol. iii. pp. 175 and 
288, also p. 31. In 1881 the population was estimated at 
twenty-one thousand (Bandelier, vol. iii. p. 259 ; Bourke, 
Snake-dance of the Moquis, p. 278; Bancroft, vol. xvii. p. 235). 
The Comanches dwelling on the eastern plains do not appear in 
history till 1716. 

2 The Navajo Indians of the present day are also silversmithf;. 
Many writers hold to the opinion that they did not learn the art 
from Spaniards or Americans (2d Annual Report of the Bureau 
of Ethnology for 1880-1881, article by Washington Matthews, 
"Navajo Silversmiths"). 



o 
> 

o 
z 




irct 



WILD TRIBES. 51 

we are accustomed to speak of the tribes, for- 
merly maintained their supremacy throughout 
the greater part of that section of the Rocky 
Mountains wliich lies in what is now known as 
Colorado. From their fastnesses among these 
sierras they frequently made incursions against 
the Indians of the plains, and if unsuccessful in 
such inroads, they retreated into rocky defiles 
where it was destruction to their foes to pursue 
them. The early Spanish expeditions met these 
Yutahs on the prairie in their marches eastward 
from the land of the pueblos. Till within a few 
years the various tribes of this once great nation 
hunted through the broad valleys of the San 
Luis, South, and Middle Parks ; traces of their 
former habitations have but recently disappeared 
from the banks of the river-courses in northern 
Colorado, and their breastworks are still to be 
met with on the eastern slopes of the San Juan 
Mountains. At present the greater part of these 
tribes, in diminished numbers, are confined to a 
narrow strip of land, part of their ancient domain 
in the southwestern corner of the State. 

Of tribes somewhat in advance of the wander- 
ing Indians, mention may be made of the Pimas of 
Arizona, the southern branch living in houses of 
stone and adobe, and the more northern people 



52 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLEES. 

in huts. The Pimas wove cloth, tilled the soil, 
and were progressing in civilization when the 
Spaniards came. They irrigated the lands, not by 
digging canals, but by guiding mountain-torrents 
into their fields. ^ 

1 Bandelier, vol. iii. pp. 30, 104 ; Bancroft, vol. i. p. 529. 



CHAPTER VL 

PUEBLO TKIBES. 

THE Spanish invaders found nearly a hundred 
inhabited dwelling-places of the pueblo 
tribes. Of these towns, Zufii, Acoma, Tiguas, 
Queres, Jemez, Tehua, and Taos are identified as 
places named in the Spanish chronicles.^ Many 
others which must have been inhabited at the 
date of the invasion have since fallen into ruin, 
while some were destroyed by the Spaniards, 
and others by the Indians. From the distribu- 
tion of these ruins, — many of which, such as 
those of Casa Grande on the Gila River in 
Arizona, were in a state of dilapidation when the 
Spaniards came, — one infers that these people 
had been declining in numbers for centuries, and 
had been unable to maintain their hold against 
more savage tribes, the more civilized going down 
before the more barbarous.^ 

The pueblo district proper occupied a country 
some two hundred and fifty miles from north to 

1 Bandelier, vol. i. p. 28. 

2 Bancroft, vol. xvii. pp. 3, 4. 



54 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

south, and about three hundred miles from east to 
west. Of the towns, Taos was the most northern, 
and Moqui the westernmost. The villages were 
somewhat widely separated, and the inhabitants 
were often hostile. Wild tribes hunted over the 
intervening spaces, for the sedentary people occu- 
pied but little of the adjacent valleys. ^ 

The Zuiii group, which consists of seven dis- 
tinct pueblos, has been identified with the Seven 
Cities of Cibola of the Spaniards,^ The Moqui 
towns also consisted of seven villages. The great 
pueblo of Pecos contained the largest population. 
Acoma was famous for its position upon a bold 
rock rising up from the plains, and has not changed 
during three centuries.^ It is built on a barren 

1 Bandelier, vol. iii. pjj. 119, 120. "The pueblos, besides, were 
not harmonious among themselves. Divided into seven distinct 
linguistic groups, the difference of languages created a barrier 
that often led to intertribal hostilities. Moreover, there was 
not even unbroken peace between the villages of the same stock. 
The villages of that time were on an average much smaller than 
those of to-day inhabited by Pueblo Indians ; but there was a 
greater number of them. The aggregate population of the pue- 
blos in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries did not exceed 
twenty-five thousand souls." 

2 About thirty miles to the eastward of Zuni is El Moro, or 
Inscription Rock, the high mesa above it crowned with ruins. 
On this rock many travellers have carved their names, Diego de 
Vargas placing his there in 1692. 

3 Bandelier, vol. iii. pp. 133, 127 ; Bandelier, vol. i. pp. 14 
to 16. 



PUEBLO TRIBES. 55 

sandstone mesa, or plateau, some three hundred 
feet above the plain. The town can be approached 
only by two narrow and very steep paths. It 
has three parallel streets, and about six hundred 
inhabitants. The houses, built of adobe, are of 
two or three stories. There are no doors or win- 
dows in the first story, and the roof, by which 
alone an entrance can be gained to these struc- 
tures, can be reached only by ladders. The surface 
of the mesa contains about ten acres, and there 
are about sixty or seventy houses ; the doors open 
to the south. The people cook in earthen pots of 
their own manufacture. They make an unfer- 
mented bread, which they roll into thin wafers. 
They use spoons made of horn and wood ; they 
have no furniture, and sleep under sheepskins. 
There are no springs upon this plateau, but there 
is an artificial tank 20 X 150 feet, which is four 
to five feet deep. In this they collect the melted 
snow in winter, and rain-water in the summer. 
A mission was founded here in 1628, and in 
1680 a number of the Franciscan monks connected 
with it were murdered.^ 

Taos is more isolated from the rest of the world 
than any of the other pueblos, for it is walled in 

1 Wheeler's Report, vol. vii.. Archaeology ; Oscar Leow, 
p. 325, etc. 



56 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS, 

by very high mountains. An annual fair has 
been held here for many years, to which the In- 
dians and pueblos come to trade. The building 
is very large, rising in terraces to a height of 
seven stories. The whole is surrounded by an 
adobe wall. The people have a belief that at some 
time Montezuma will come over this peak on the 
back of an eagle, and that there will then be an end 
to all their sorrows ; and one man is supposed to 
watch for this event every day in the year, with 
his face turned toward the mountain.^ 

Most of the pueblo structures were built in the 
form of terraces, and placed upon the top of high, 
isolated plateaus. They could only be reached by 
winding, circuitous paths, in many cases steps 
being cut on the face of cliffs. The lower stories 
have no doors or windows, the upper stories 
being reached by ladders, as has been shown in 
the description of Taos, entrance being gained by 
holes in the roof. The rooms of the buildings were 
generally very small ; the chimneys were made of 
pieces of very large jars, or ollas. Each pueblo 
had one or more estufas, or underground chambers, 

1 For information regai'ding Taos, I am indebted to my friend 
Mr. G. P. D. Townsend, of Colorado Springs, who has visited 
that pueblo and obtained much information and many valuable 
photographs. The Montezuma myth I have referred to in 
another chapter. 



PUEBLO TRIBES. 57 

usually circular in form, though often square, in 
which religious exercises or the councils of the 
chiefs were held. The rafters of the buildings 
were made of hewn timbers, which were undoubt- 
edly cut with stone axes. The customs of the 
people were very simple. They dressed in cloths 
of cotton and tanned skins, though in some cases 
they went naked in winter and in summer. The 
Moqui tribes raised their own cotton, and wove 
their own garments. 

Most of the Pueblo Indians speak languages 
which are entirely different from one another, 
though the people of Pecos spoke the language 
of the Jemez, and in recent times, after becoming 
greatly reduced, abandoned their own pueblos 
and took refuge with their kindred. Many of 
the pueblo towns, such as Isleta, Santo Domingo, 
and Laguna, have become Mexicanized ; but 
others, as those of Zufii, Moqui, and Taos, are 
still somewhat primitive, and the stories written 
by the old Spanish chroniclers agree very nearly 
with the accounts given by modern explorers. 

For instance, from Castaneda, the chronicler of 
Coronado's expedition, we learn that the province 
of Cibola contained seven villages, the houses of 
which are three or four stories high, though in 
one of the villaires there were some which reached 



58 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

as high as seven stories. The Indians were very 
intelligent, and dressed themselves with pieces of 
cloth resembling napkins. They had mantles 
made of feather or rabbit-skins and cotton stuffs ; 
they also made garments of well-tanned skin. 
The women wore a kind of mantle, which they 
fastened around the neck and passed under the 
right arm. They rolled their hair up behind 
their ears in the form of a wheel. According to 
Castafieda, many bears, lions, wild-cats, otters, and 
other wild animals infested the land. Very large 
turquoises were found there, but, as was gener- 
ally the case, not in such quantities as the eager 
Spaniards expected. The houses were built in 
common, the women making the mortar and build- 
ing the walls. The pueblos had no. lime, but made 
a mixture of ashes, dirt, and coal ; and though they 
ran the houses four stories high, the walls were 
not more than three feet in thickness : these 
were coated with a mixture made from burned 
twigs, earth, and water. They also made a kind 
of rubble-stone from the same mixture.^ The 
houses belonged to the women, and the estufas to 
the men, the women not being allowed to sleep in 

1 The Pueblo Indians of the present day also make bricks of 
mnd mixed with straw, forming the mass in moulds of wood or 
other material. See illustration facing page 41. 



PUEBLO TRIBES. 59 

the estufas, or even enter them, except when they 
had occasion to bring food to their husbands or 
sons. There were many rooms, which were kept 
very clean; some were designed for kitchens, 
and others for grinding grain. The women ground 
this grain upon stones, which were fastened into 
the masonry. One of them cracked the grain, the 
next one crushed it, and the third reduced it to 
powder. They made great quantities of flour at 
once. In making bread they wet up this flour 
with warm water, and made a thin paste which 
resembled wafers.^ 

In all these provinces were found pottery and 
vases of curious form and workmanship. 

To-day many of the Pueblo Indians have em- 
braced the Catholic religion, and the Moquis are 
about the only tribe among whom there are no 
permanent priests. But the people cling to many 
of their heathen rites. The pueblos hold their 
land in common, but for purposes of cultivation 
it is divided among families. They raise their 
crops entirely by irrigation. They own a great 
deal of stock, consisting of large herds of horses, 
mules, and sheep. They are a very orderly and 
industrious people, live in harmony with each 

1 Teruaux-Compans, Castaneda, "Relation du Voyage de 
Cibola," vol. ix. part 2d, chaps, iii., iv., v. 



60 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

other, and there are no paupers among them. 
Their original weapons were the bow and arrow. 
They are a very brave people, and were generally 
more than a match for the wild Indians. They 
are very superstitious, and are firm believers in 
witchcraft in all its varieties.^ 

Tusayan, or the Moqui towns are more inter- 
esting than any other pueblos existing at the pres- 
ent day, because their inhabitants retain most of 
their primitive customs. 

Some of their villages are very picturesque, 
placed as they are upon high plateaus, the struc- 

1 Mr. W. H. Davis, " El Gringo, or New Mexico and Her 
People," pp. 145, 146; Wheeler, vol. vii.. Archaeology, pp. 317, 
320. 

Mr. G. Thompson, -topographer of the expedition, relates in- 
teresting facts in regard to the pueblos. He describes them as 
of medium height, erect and graceful in bearing, and in dispo- 
sition cordial and jovial. " In figure and stature the people of 
the pueblos are noble-looking and beautifully formed." Accord- 
ing to this authority, each pueblo town had its own art ; some 
excelled in pottery-making, others in weaving : the Moquis were 
the song-makers. The people of Jemez even went to Tusayan 
and bought songs. In regard to the music of the pueblos, Dr. 
Fewkes has recently succeeded in placing upon record some of 
the songs of the Zunis. On one of his expeditions he carried 
with him a phonograph, and exposed it to the singing of some 
of the tribe. Mr. Benjamin Ives Gilman has, with the aid of a 
harmonium, taken down this music, and some eighteen pages 
of it are published in the "Journal of American Ethnology 
and Archajology, " vol. i. 







r| 



'^.k 



\ 



.•-> / 



••'**■«, 






•P'^ 




, * 1 



PUEBLO TRIBES. 61 

tures being erected upon the very brink of preci- 
pices. These houses are built of rubble-stone of 
all sizes, from two to ten inches in diameter, the 
wall being plastered with mud. The average size 
of the rooms is twelve feet by ten, and seven feet 
high. As in Coronado's time, the women own the 
houses, for they build them and keep them in re- 
pair. The crops also belong to them after they 
are housed.^ 

The land in the valleys at the foot of the mesa 
is owned by them in common, a member of the 
tribe controlling a given section only while he 
keeps it under cultivation. There are many estu- 
fas in the different villages, and in some of these 
are pictures of animals, such as the antelope, and 
on some walls are pictographs representing clouds 
and rainfall. In some cases these colors were 
red and blue. Green pigments were obtained 
from carbonate of copper, and pitch from the piiion 
tree. Black was from charcoal, yellow from yel- 
low ochre found in the country, and the white 
probably from kaolin.^ 

Pottery-making is an important industry among 
these people, the old squaws doing most of the 

1 "The Snake-dance of the Moquis of Arizona," by John G. 
Boiirke, pp. 115, 261. 

2 Ibid., p. 120. 



62 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

work. The paste is made of marl and clay, which 
is mixed with water and then with finely crushed 
fragments of old pottery. After being made into 
the desired form it is sun-dried and then baked. 
It is not glazed, though, on account of polishing 
and cleansingj it sometimes has this appearance.^ 
Beautiful baskets are also made in Tusayan. As 
with other Indian tribes, there were numerous 
clans in all the pueblo villages. There are eigh- 
teen of these among the Moquis, bearing such 
names as the Eagle, Corn, Water, Bear, Deer, 
Coyote, Eoad-runner.2 

The Moquis have many very singular customs, 
one of the more marvellous being the snake-dance, 
which has some religious significance, in which 
live rattlesnakes are carried in the mouths of the 
dancers. They are a very superstitious people, be- 
lieving in witches and witchcraft, and sing hymns, 
ring bells, and make great noises to drive away 
the evil spirits, and they always wear a talisman 
or amulet. Their mythology and theology are 
very complex. They have many gods and idols. 

1 Bandelier, vol. iii. p. 162. This writer states, "The pueblo, 
however, knew how to impart a certain lustre or glaze to some 
of the decorations on his earthern ware, and this art is lost." I 
have picked up many fragments among cliff-dwellings that I con- 
sidered as glazed ware. 

2 Bourke, Snake-dance, p. 117. 



PUEBLO TRIBES. 63 

The idols are very rough in form, sometimes repre- 
senting animals such as the bear or mountain lion, 
or grotesque figures.^ The more ugly the deity, 
the more sacred it is in the eyes of the people. 
The cloud-god Oma-a is one of the more impor- 
tant, because, on account of the scarcity of rain- 
fall, they pray oftener for this blessing than 
for any other. They have many sacred springs 
in their country, where they leave their votive 
offerings of sticks and prayer-plumes.^ 

Thus we have a picture of the pueblo tribes of 
the Southwest as given by the early Spanish in- 
vaders and recent American observers. We find, 
as compared with the wild tribes who roamed 
throughout the broad land, that they were a sed- 
entary, peaceable people, trading with their neigh- 
bors and with the tribes of Sonora. Livmg as 
they did, in their almost inaccessible houses of 

1 Bourke, Snake-dance, p. 131. In Tegua they had wooden 
gods, which, after sei'ving for this purpose, were given to the 
children to play with as dolls. 

2 For a book that will give a good idea of the life, customs, 
and beliefs of the primitive Pueblo Indians, I would refer the 
reader to that very interesting romance, "The Delight Makers," 
by Adolf F. Bandelier. In the preface, the author writes : 
"This story is the result of eight years spent in ethnological and 
archaeological study among the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico. 
... By clothing sober facts iu the garb of romance, I have 
hoped to make the 'truth about the Pueblo Indians' more ac- 
cessible, and perhaps more acceptable, to the public in general." 



64 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

stone and adobe, they were somewhat protected 
from the fierce Indians, for they could draw up 
their ladders at night, and sleep in comparative 
peace and security. As for their origin, little is 
known, for some of their traditions state that they 
came from the West, and other facts lead us to 
think that certain tribes, within a few centuries, 
occupied canons to the north. Certain it is that 
some of them formerly dwelt in cave and cliff- 
houses in the canons, and we have much reason 
to infer that the inhabitants of the two classes of 
dwellings were identical. 



„-■ 1 1. :i> 




POTOSI PEAK. 



CHAPTER VII. 

EXPLOKATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 

IT is interesting and fascinating to read the 
history of the explorations of the Spaniards 
in Colorado, and trace on maps their routes in the 
mountainous country; yet it is doubtful if they 
penetrated into the heart of the San Juan Moun- 
tains. The best authorities seem to agree that 
Coronado did not even enter upon the present 
borders of southeastern Colorado in his famous 
march eastward. When Onate entered New 
Mexico in 1591, he established a colony on the 
Chama. Thence adventurers penetrated farther 
to the north, exploring for gold and silver.^ We 
learn of other explorations in the eighteenth cen- 
tury, when Cachupin was governor of New Mex- 
ico. The mineral wealth of the San Juan country 

* Shafts of their ancient mines are found as far up as the Eio 
Hondo and Colorado in New Mexico, and even between the 
Culebra and Trinchera in Southern Colorado. — Historical 
Sketches of New Mexico, L. B. Prince (second edition, 1883), 
p. 164. 

5 



6Q THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

was the loadstone to attract these adventurers. 
Afterwards, in 1761, Juan Maria Eivera reached 
a point as far north as the Gunnison Eiver. 

In 1776 Escalante, accompanied by Don Joa- 
quim Lain, who had been with Eivera, visited 
Colorado. He crossed the southwestern corner, 
journeying from Santa F6 through Abiquiu to 
Nieves, on the San Juan Eiver. Some of the 
names which he gave have been retained to this 
day. ^ 

The early history of New Mexico reads like a 
romance ; but the existence of the primitive 
people, and the fact that the country contained 
archaeological remains of great interest, seems to 
have been lost sight of till the middle of the 
present century, when exploring parties of the 
United States Government re-discovered, as it 
were, the homes of many of the pueblos.^ 

1 The eastern section of the La Platte Range was called by 
Escalante "Sierra de La Griilla." — Bancroft, vol. xxx. p. 339. 
The La Plata River he called the San Joaquin, and in the 
canon, says his narrative, were the mines sought for by Cachu- 
pin's explorers, and which gave the name to the mountains 

[supposed to contain silver. — Ibid., vol. xxv. p. 340. 

2 Notes of the Military Reconnoissance, etc., Lieut.-CoL W. 
H. Emory ; Journal of a Military P>econnoissance, 1846-47-48, 
Lieut. J. A. Simpson; J. "W. Powell, " Scribner's Monthly," 
Jan., Feb., March, 1875 ; J. W. Powell, Official Report, Explora- 
tion of the Colorado River, Washington, 1875 ; J. Gregg, 
Commerce of the Prairies, New York, 1844. 



EXPLORATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 67 

The reports of these explorations so far as they 
refer to archaeology deal principally with inhabited 
dwellings of stone and adobe. Lieutenant Simp- 
son, however, discovered in Chaco Canon deserted 
ruins of a people called Cliff-Dwellers, who are 
presumed to be the ancestors of the present 
Moquis and Zufiis.^ 

Mention has been made of early explorations, 
and of the routes taken by the Spaniards in Colo- 
rado ; but it is doubtful if they went far enough 
west to meet any traces of the cliff-dwellings 
proper. Subsequent to the discoveries in New 
Mexico, we have no record of explorations of 
importance being made farther to the north, 
within the limits of Colorado, till the expe- 
dition of Capt. J. N. Macomb, in 1859. The 
published documents consist mainly of the re- 
port of Dr. J. S. Newberry, which was almost 
entirely confined to the geology of the country. 
Nevertheless, he visited many ruins of pueblos 
and cliff-dwellings ; but unfortunately, though he 
made sketches and notes at the time, very little 
relating thereto has been published. He has 
kindly given me valuable information in regard 

* Dr. Oscar Leow, in Report of the Chief of Engineers, 1875, 
gives the population of the pueblos at that time as eight thousand. 
See also discoveries by Lieutenants Whipple and Birnie, recorded 
in the same Report. 



68 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

to some of the antiquities visited, especially those 
on the San Juan Eiver. This stream, which has 
its source in Colorado, runs to the southwest into 
New Mexico, and after making a great bend in 
that territory, it flows in a more northerly direc- 
tion, and cuts across the lower corner of Colorado 
and Utah. Dr. Newberry found that from the 
Caiion Largo in New Mexico to the junction of 
the San Juan with the Colorado, the valley was 
studded with ruins, few of which have ever been 
described. They are either in open valleys or on 
the cliffs and buttes, and it is evident that every 
inch of the valley was once cultivated. It is also 
probable that the inhabitants lived in fear of 
attack from outside enemies, for some of the 
buttes were crowned with defences. These de- 
fensive works have with time almost entirely 
disappeared. 

In the printed Eeport cited above. Dr. Newberry 
mentions ruins at Surouaro, ^ near the Dolores 

1 Surouaro is the name of a ruined town which once must 
have contained a population of several thousands. The name is 
said to be of Indian (Utah) origin, and to signify " desolation ; " 
and certainly no better name could have been selected. . . . 
There is every evidence that a large population resided here for 
many years, perhaps centuries, and that they deserted it several 
years ago ; that they were Pueblo Indians, and hence peaceful, 
industrious, and agricultural. — Capt. J. N. Macomb : Eeport 
of the Exploring Expedition, etc., 1859. 



EXPLORATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 69 

River, and also those on the Animas River and in 
Labyrinth Canon. He also described a town of 
Los Caiiones on the Rio Chama, in New Mexico. 
In regard to this, he has given me added informa- 
tion. The ruined town of Los Cahones is near 
Abiquiu Peak. It is situated on an isolated 
rock four hundred and fifty feet high, having 
abrupt and almost perpendicular sides, with an 
area on the top of about twenty acres. The town 
was entirely built of blocks of trachyte which were 
quarried at the bottom of the rock. Each stone 
was dressed on all sides, and must have been 
transported to the sumniit on the shoulders of the 
workmen. There are here large cisterns which 
have been excavated in the rock, with holes sunk 
for the reception of posts, which supported a su- 
perstructure, — doubtless to form a roof to collect 
rain-water. The wood-work around the cisterns 
and in the houses of the village has entirely 
disappeared by process of decay. When we con- 
sider that this wood-work was mainly cedar, 
which, in this climate, is almost imperishable, 
it will be seen that the town of Los Cahones has 
been abandoned for many years. 

Later, explorations were made along the north- 
ern tributaries of the San Juan River, among and 
under the shadow of the great mountains that 



70 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

bear the same name. In these early days the San 
Juan Mountains were as wild and inaccessible as 
any mountain region in the West. 

This great uplift is not a single range or series 
of 'mountain chains, but is composed of several 
clusters of great peaks. The northern portion, 
which is called the Uncompahgre Mountains, is 
formed by two groups which lie about Uncom- 
pahgre Peak and Mount Snaefell. Farther to the 
south are the mighty peaks which surround Silver- 
ton ; and rising above Animas Canon are the Nee- 
dle Mountains. Still farther to the south lie the 
summits which go to make up the Conejos Eange. 
Outlying groups, though properly considered as 
belonging to the San Juan system, are the San 
Miguel and the La Plata Mountains. 

From Uncompahgre Peak in the north to 
Conejos Peaks in the south, both lying well 
within the system of the Sierra Mimbres, as the 
Spaniards called the mountains, is a distance 
of some seventy miles. From Telluride, on the 
west, to Antelope Park, on the east, is a breadth 
of forty miles. Within these limits are found 
peaks of granite, or quartzite, and of trachyte, — 
many-hued mountains ^ of every imaginable form, 

1 In Hayden's Report, 1874, F. M. Endlich, geologist, 
writes (p. 201) of the Kio Grande Pyramid : " Weathering 










II' 



'•H 




> 



.■■^^ 



POTOSI PEAK. 



EXPLORATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 71 

from graceful dome to tapering spire. There are 
beautiful mountain tarns and foaming torrents, 
deep, rugged canons, and peaceful valleys. 

In among these several groups rise the Eio 
Grande del Norte, Animas, San Juan, Mancos, 
San Miguel, Dolores, Uncompahgre, and other 
important streams, all except the first mentioned 
being tributary to the Colorado Eiver; for the 
Continental Divide, which enters Colorado at 
about 106° 50' west longitude, reaches its most 
western point, 107° 35', in the mountains east of 
Silverton, leaving most of the higher peaks of the 
San Juan ranges on the Pacific slope. 

Until recently the valleys in among these 
peaks west of the Great Divide were very diffi- 
cult of access. In fact, nothing is known of the 
connection of Americans with the heart of the 
San Juan Mountains and southwestern Colorado 
till 1860. In that year John Baker led a party 
of mining adventurers from Pueblo. They en- 
tered the country from the south from Tierra 

with all the brilliancy that colors originated by ferric-oxygen 
compounds can produce, it presents, in its variety of shades 
as well as its elongated pyramidal form, one of the most 
striking features of the valley. But a short distance north- 
west of this mountain are the sources of the Rio Grande, 
which for more than ninety miles flows through one continuous 
area of volcanic country." 



72 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Amarilla, and went far up on the Eio de las 
Animas. This was a most difficult journey, for 
the Animas flows through a narrow canon, the 
Needle Mountains rising above with precipitous 
walls. 

Baker's Park, which has its name from the in- 
trepid prospector,^ is one of the most interesting 
valleys in this locality. It is as isolated as any 
mountain valley can be. Except by way of 
Animas Canon, it can only be reached by cross- 
ing very high passes. Its elevation is 9,202 feet 
above sea-level.^ To reach the summit of the 
several passes one must ascend from two thousand 
to three thousand feet. It was into this park that 
Baker and his companions were driven by In- 
dians ; some escaped, and others were killed.^ 

1 Baker was a mountaineer of note. He had heard from the 
Navajos and other Indians that the royal metal existed in the 
mysterious upper regions of the Sierra Madre, proof of which 
was exhibited in ornaments and bullets of gold. — H. H. Ban- 
croft, vol. XXV. p. 497. 

2 Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. 

3 Authorities differ. Rhoda states that Baker lost his life in 
the park in 1862 (Ann. Report U. S. Geol. k Geog. Survey, F. V. 
Hayden, Washington, 1876 ; Report on the Topography of the 
San Juan Country, by Franklin Rhoda, Assistant Topographer, 
pp. 465, 466). Bancroft states that " Baker lived to be a wealthy 
cattle-owner, and to organize an expedition to explore the 
Grand Canon of the Colorado. He was killed at the entrance to 
the canon" (vol. xxv. ). From what I have been alile to glean 
from frontiersmen, I am inclined to think the latter authority 




IN ANIMAS CANON. 



EXPLORATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 73 

The Eeport of the United States Geological and 
Geographical Survey of the Territories for 1874 
is one of the most interesting of all the many- 
valuable works issued by the Government press. 
Of especial interest to the mountaineer is that 
part of the volume which describes the San Juan 
Mountains. 

In 1S73 the Ute Indians released to the 
United States Government the right to all the 
land in the San Juan country which was supposed 
to be of value for mining purposes. It was 
the object of the San Juan division of the Sur- 
vey to examine the region and determine the 
value of the lodes. This required considerable 
mountain-climbing.^ 

The party consisted of A. D. Wilson, topogra- 
pher directing, F. Khoda, his assistant, F. M. 
Endlich, geologist, and Mr. Gallup, barometric 
observer. The story of the adventures of the 
party is very interesting. If some of their narra- 
tives could be unearthed from their burial-place 
in the volumes of the Survey Eeport, — volumes 
which are out of print, and therefore inaccessible 

correct, with the exception of the statement that he was a: 
"wealthy cattle owner." 

1 Dr. Haydeu wrote: "While Colorado has furnished soi 
many districts of rug,<,'ed mountain country, the one surveyed hy, 
this party during 1874 surpassed all." 



74 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

to the general public, — and illustrated in a suit- 
able manner, a book of surpassing interest could 
be made. They made the ascent of many peaks, 
most of them previously unascended, but were 
surprised to find a cairn on Eio Grande Pyramid, 
and thus to learn that some unknown climber 
had forestalled them. They met grislies and 
big-horns, and were caught in electrical storms 
which interfered with their work. 

How changed all this is since those explora- 
tions I Then the country was very wild, though 
here and there in the parks and on the mountain 
sides were seen the picturesque cabins of the 
frontiersmen ; now the log-house is giving way 
to homely board structures, and the picturesque 
" wicky-ups " of the Utes and the cabins of the 
squatters are being succeeded by the unpoetical 
and commonplace product of the saw-mill. Such 
is notably the case at Silverton, the principal 
mining town in Baker's Park. Surrounded by a 
noble array of grand peaks, — Mount Kendall, 
King Solomon, Galena, Sultan, Bowlder, Bear, 
and other giants, — the village, itself the fore- 
ground of the picture, is made up of cheap and 
ordinary buildings. 

In 1874-76, important archaeological explora- 
tions were conducted, especially in Colorado, by 



EXPLOEATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 75 

members of Hayden's Survey.^ Mr. William H. 
Holmes,^ geologist of the San Juan division, ex- 
amined many ruins in the valleys and upon the 
cliffs. Mr. W. H. Jackson, the skilful photog- '^ 
rapher of the Survey, made a very thorough 
search for architectural remains in Mancos, Mc- 
Elmo, Hovenweep, and Montezuma Canons, and 
in the Chaco Canon, in northern New Mexico, 
had the fortune to find a skull which belonged to 
the race of Cliff-Dwellers. The illustrations made 
from Mr. Jackson's admirable photographs at- 
tracted great attention to these marvellous ruins ; \ 
but it must be remembered that the ground cov- 
ered by these remains is extensive, embracing 

1 Hayden's Report for 1876, p. 383. Mr. Holmes's territory 
covered six thousand square miles (Hayden's Report for 1875). 
Dr. F. M. Endlieh examined the ruins in the valley of the Rio 
de las Animas. 

2 Pottery of the Ancient Pueblos, by William H. Holmes, 
"Washington, 1886, p. 315 : " In a number of ways the valley of 
the Rio San Juan possesses unusual interest to the antiquarian. 
Until within the latter half of the nineteenth century it re- 
mained wholly unknown. The early Spanish expeditions are not 
known to have penetrated its secluded precincts, and its cliff- 
houses, its ruined pueblos, and curious towers have been so long 
deserted that it is doubtful whether even a tradition of their 
occupation has been preserved, either by the nomadic tribes of 
the district or by the modern pueblos of the south. Certain 
it is that no foreign hand has influenced the art of this district, 
and no Spanish adventurer has left traces of his presence." 



76 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

a section of several thousand square miles, and 
only a small area of so large a territory could be 
explored in three summers. In those early days, 
too, the travellers were exposed to all manner of 
hardships, were far from a base of supplies, and 
were at times in danger from hostile Indians. 
Thus it was with the region about Mancos Canon, 
in which gorge many very interesting ruins were 
discovered, and which locality gives, perhaps, 
the finest examples of the remains of works of 
masonry in the West. The explorers had time 
only to enable them to pass through the main 
caiion, while recent developments have shown 
that the side gorges, or tributary canons, contained 
by far the grandest ruins of the lost people. 

I have endeavored, in these preliminary pages, 
to give the reader an account of explorations in 
the Southwest, and of some of the results already 
obtained. Though the country has been known 
and partially occupied for over three centuries, 
still there are large fields that have not been ex- 
plored at all, and many sections would undoubtedly 
prove as interesting in the way of new develop- 
ments as any yet investigated. 

The following pages will present the story of 
wanderings in a limited district, where I have 



EXPLORATION IN THE SAN JUAN REGION. 77 

passed many very pleasant days among the moun- 
tains and canons. There still remain multitudes 
of gorges and remote valleys almost entirely 
unknown, and the amateur explorer who shall 
essay to take part in future explorations will 
find much to employ and entertain him. 



M 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 

Y first entrance into the wonderland of the 
cliff-dwellings was effected by way of the 
towering mountains that form its northern bul- 
wark. The spires of the San Juan ranges had 
exercised a powerful fascination upon me from 
the moment I first beheld them from far to the 
eastward, in scaling the savage aretes of Sierra 
Blanca. The spell became more fixed when, after 
a year's interval, emerging from the caiion of the 
Gunnison, I saw their snowy summits piercing 
the blue sky only a score of miles to the south- 
ward. It was at its maximum as, leaving the 
main transcontinental line at Montrose, our little 
train sped directly toward them, giving us con- 
stant views, now, on the left, of the castellated 
ridges of mighty Uncompahgre, now, on the right, 
of the great peaks about Ouray, culminating in 
Mount Snaefell, whose form was barely traceable 
through the smoky haze that seemed to magnify 



r^v 




THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 79 

its altitude. As at length we drew near the min- 
ing town that boasts the most remarkable site in 
the land, the early darkness of a September night 
had fallen, and we could see nothing of the grand 
scenery about us ; but we knew that far above 
the glimmering lights which shone from the 
camps of the miners on the hillsides the great 
peaks were waiting. 

"We had several addresses to look up, as it was 
our first visit to Ouray ^ and we wished to obtain 
some information in regard to the mountains ; but 
as name after name was read from our list, they 
were checked as sick or absent. The courteous 
proprietor of the Hotel Beaumont, however, on 
learning the purpose of our visit and that our 
bent was mountain-climbing, informed us that 
Dr. F. M. Endlich was stopping at that inn. I 
was delighted, knowing as I did of his excellent 
work as one of the geologists of Hayden's staff, 
and being sure that no man knew the country 
better. We were presented to him, very kindly 
received, and made still more joyful by being in- 
vited to ride with him high into the range the 
next day. The object of his journey was to start 

^ My friend Mr. Charles P. Howard was my companion on 
this and other excursions among the San Juan Mountains and 
the canons to the south. 



80 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

some delving operations at the Yankee Boy 
mine. 

The day following, we were off early, riding up 
the Snaefell Toll road, through a magnificent cafion 
above a roaring brook. All along our morning's 
ride were beautiful views of peaks and valleys. 
The road is well built, and skirts the sides of the 
mountains high up on their flanks. After riding 
about two hours, the way turns to the right, and 
high above us, blocking the end of the valley, we 
saw Stony Peak, a beautiful diorite mountain : 
we little dreamed that we should reach a point 
beyond it that day. Its solid, rocky slopes give 
it the appearance of a greater altitude than it 
really attains. A half hour farther on we came 
to a place under Potosi Peak where a log-house 
had stood for six years, but was carried away by 
an avalanche a year after its desertion. On the 
sides of the mountains, a little below this pointy 
are grand exhibitions of havoc wrought by ava- 
lanches. Earth-slides had ploughed a way 
through great forests in broad, regular sweeps, 
leaving the ground clean and bare of trees. 

At 11.30 we reached a ranch, or mining camp 
(Porter's), which is put down on the map as a 
town.^ On the opposite side of the river is the 
1 Mount Siieflfels. 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 81 

entrance to a tunnel, which is eight feet high and 
nine wide. It has already been extended thir- 
teen hundred feet into the heart of the mountain ; 
it will strike the shaft of the Virginius mine at 
a depth of nineteen hundred feet, and will be 
considerably more than a mile in length. Now 
the peaks on the left showed splendid towers 
and sharp pinnacles. Dr. Endlich informed us 
that the ridges had proved too jagged to allow of 
a survey line to be run over their summits. 

The wagon-road ends at Porter's, and burro and 
mule trains do all the packing from this point up 
and down from the " Yankee Boy," " Virginius," 
and other mines. They also are kept going all 
the distance from Ouray. 

At 11.45 we left the more travelled road which 
leads to the Virginius mine, and followed a trail 
leading to the "Yankee Boy." At noon we 
passed the " Euby Trust." Just below, in a little 
valley where much grass giows, is a milk ranch. 
The demand from the mining camps has called 
such an industry into existence, and. a dozen or 
more cows pick a subsistence among the black- 
willows which grow by the torrents. Passing 
these pastoral groups, we left the tinkling of cow- 
bells, and rode through interesting scenes. On 

rock-beds by the trail were marks of glacial scor- 
6 



82 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

ing, and high above us on the peaks to the right 
were splintered crags. One spire had a big hole 
in it, through which the blue sky showed. 

About noon we reached the " Yankee Boy " 
camp, which consists of two very pretty log-cabins 
near the stream. Here Dr. Endlich rested for a 
short while, to direct the work of some miners 
who were about to open a shaft. We were not 
long delayed, however, but continued on and up. 
In about an hour we reached timber line, and 
at 1.15 the summit of Treasury Hill (elevation 
12,125 feet), — a grassy alp from whose top is ob- 
tained splendid panoramic views of the encircling 
snow-peaks. These snow-caps occupy nearly 
300° of the horizon, and at the observer's back is 
the dark wall of the Snaefell group. We spent 
much time in taking photographs, securing six- 
teen pictures ; six of these represent the pano- 
ramic view. 

Treasury Hill is well suited for the location of 
a mountain inn. It is easy of access, for a good 
road could be built to the summit ; there is 
plenty of water to be found, for the turf is springy. 
The region is very attractive. The many un- 
named peaks are marked by a grace and beauty 
all peculiar to themselves. But for one reason, 
their charm to the mountaineer would be un- 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 83 

equalled by any other range in the State ; but the 
ever-present prospect-hole, found up to an eleva- 
tion of thirteen thousand feet, gives the traveller 
a feeling that he is not in a very wild country, 
and that he has been preceded by many. The 
appearance was so different from what I had met 
with in other remote parts of the Colorado ranges 
that I was struck with it on my first trip from 
Ouray. This leads me to emphasize a statement 
that I have often made before, — that wherever 
minerals do not abound in the higher Kockies, 
there, when away from trails, the traveller may 
rest assured that few have been ahead of him, 
and in many cases he may well feel that he is 
a pioneer. But here, at the base of the final 
cone of Mount Snaefell and the adjoining peaks, 
we observed prospectors' openings, and stakes 
marking claims were set in many places on the 
grass slopes of Treasury Hill. 

Looking to the south of Treasury Hill, one sees 
a grand peak which towers up from a placid gla- 
cial lakelet. Sweeping down from near the sum- 
mit come great ridges of sand and debris which 
seem to show the path of an ancient glacier. The 
lake is in a deep hollow, and is a wild spot. Eis- 
ing above it on the west are the serrated ridges 
of Snaefell. When the waters are calm these 



84 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

pinnacles are mirrored in the lake, and the effect 
is beautiful, One of the finest photographs which 
I ever obtained in the Eockies was secured at 
this place. 

Leaving Treasury Hill at 3.15 P. m., we reached 
Ouray at dark, riding part of the way at a lively 
gait. When the little town came into view, it 
was lighted up ; and high on the mountain sides 
around, little glimmerings showed from the min- 
ing camps like answering beacons. 

One result of our preliminary excursion was the 
making the acquaintance of a miner, a contractor 
and prospector of Ouray, who was at that time 
engaged by Dr. Endlich. He had been up Mount 
Snaefell six years before. He offered to go up this 
peak with us, and help carry our photographic 
apparatus. 

The morning following we spent in climbing 
steep hillsides about Ouray.' This valley is in a 
hole, if ever any town was. It is built on the bed 
of an ancient glacier above the terminal moraine. 
It is surrounded on all sides, save the narrow en- 
trance to the north, by steep wooded slopes, which 
one must ascend but a short distance to catch 
sight of the noble peaks which lie back of them. 

In the village we took pictures of burros and 
mule-trains, and on the hillsides views of log- 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 85 

houses and cabins. While among the hills, tre- 
mendous blasts were heard above us, and rocks 
came crashing down the slides, and fainter reports 
reverberated from the opposite mountain slopes. 
All day long in our ramblings we realized that the 
miner was at work in the mountains, and shaft- 
holes were seen everywhere high up on the cliffs. 

There are beautiful trees about Ouray ; but the 
axe is already at work, and the town-folk must 
look out for the future, before it is too late to pre- 
serve the forests. 

In the afternoon we rode on horses to Porter's 
camp. This place, as I have stated, is located on 
the map as a village. There is a store, over which 
is a loft in which are several beds ; one of these 
was placed at our disposal. An addition to the 
building is used by the proprietor as a dwelling 
place. Next the store is a small house where 
meals are served to the mule-drivers and miners. 
Besides these is a large barn and a long, low build- 
ing which is used for the storage of ores. This 
constitutes the town of " Snefifles Mount." The 
distance from Ouray by the road is seven miles ; 
the elevation above sea-level is about 10,950 feet, 
or 3,310 feet above Ouray. 

We enjoyed our stay at this mining camp, 
watching the mule and burro trains, and talking 



86 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

with the miners. A little way above the camp 
we were the observers of an approaching line of 
pack-mules, all loaded with ore from the Virgin- 
ius mine. One of the animals took it into his 
head to cross the stream and wander among the 
scrub growth upon the opposite side. Several of 
his companions followed, and the driver, in en- 
deavoring to "round them up," caused a general 
stampede, and, as a result, a couple of packs be- 
came loosened, and trouble was in store for the 
tired drivers. The burden of one mule revolved 
to a position under his belly, and naturally a 
furious spell of bucking and kicking resulted. It 
seemed as if that mule would destroy himself in 
his stupidity. He thrashed around till the ore 
was got rid of, and finally so entangled himself 
in the ropes, cinches, and saddle-gearing that he 
fell in the middle of the stream, and, lying on 
his back, continued to kick the air. 

Later at the camp we were treated to an exhi- 
bition of horse-training. A cow-boy, who had 
left the joys of ranch life to spend his days in 
holes in the earth, undertook to mount and ride 
a bucking broncho that had hitherto kept all ven- 
turesome riders at a distance. A worse place 
could not have been selected in which to attempt 
to curb the spirit of such a beast. There was 





CABIN IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 87 

some commotion and excitement, at the start, 
while the horseman endeavored to get astride the 
steed ; for he was driven back by the mustang, 
who let fly with hind legs, his heels making a sort 
of quiver and snap as they reached for the in- 
tended victim. Later efforts were more success- 
ful, and the trainer was soon firmly seated. The 
enraged animal snorted, plunged, and reared, but 
was unable to throw the rider, and in a fit of des- 
peration took the bit between his teeth and dashed 
away. Open, clear space was limited, and in a 
blind manner the mustang mounted a pile of lum- 
ber, and then crossed a stack of logs, in among 
which we expected to see him break his legs and 
dash his rider among the timbers. Coming out 
of this difficulty in safety, he then took to the 
woods, where the cow-boy risked being struck off 
at every moment by the branches of the forest. 
He finally guided him into the road again, where 
horse and rider came down together in the dusty 
highway. Picking himself up, the broncho dashed 
off; but the cow-boy clung to the end of the rope, 
and was dragged through the stream, — a moun- 
tain torrent which ran near by. He held to the 
fiery steed, and the onlooking miners and mule 
drivers joining in, the combined weight of so many 
strong men checked the onward motion of the 



6b THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

galloping liorse, and he was brought to a stand- 
still. One of the miners now stepped forward, 
took off his coat and bound it around the head of 
the broncho, and after a little more fun the beast 
was cowed, and trotted up and down the road at 
the beck of his new master. 

I had had some experience with bucking bron- 
chos. Once in the Northern Eockies I used such 
a beast, — the kind that must be saddled and un- 
saddled with the greatest of care. One day, after 
a long ride, 1 dismounted, opened my camera box, 
which was strapped to the saddle, and carefully 
removed the instruments ; but the animal, look- 
ing around with his bad eye, saw the cover of 
the box projecting from his sides, and began 
a terrible dance. Levels, compass, diaphragms, 
barometer, tripod, and plates were distributed far 
and wide, so that we were able to follow the 
trail by the scattered remains. Dashing between 
two trees without considering the consequences, 
the broncho pursued his way. The box was 
knocked to pieces, and not until several searches 
had been made did we find the cover. Again, in 
another district, I rode an animal that in his 
plunges would land my nose on the soft place on 
the top of his head, between his ears, and would 
endeavor to throw me off at the brink of every 




MOUNT SNAEFEL 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 89 

precipice that we had occasion to pass ; but in all 
my experience I never saw such a bucker as this 
one in the San Juan Mountains. During the 
evening, at the supper board, and in gathering 
knots of men after this meal was despatched, 
the conversation was about the cow-boy's feat, 
and his prowess was extolled on all sides. 

So late in the season the mornings were dark 
and cold, so that we could not make very early 
starts. On this occasion we did not leave Porter's 
till 6.50. As on the day before, we passed in- 
teresting cabins and funny burros. Of the pres- 
ence of one of these comical animals we knew 
nothing, except that two ears were sticking up 
over a ridge. 

At the " Yankee Boy " camp we found our miner 
waiting for us. He followed us on foot, and we 
gained the summit of Treasury Hill at 8.30 
o'clock. Here we fastened our horses to bowlders, 
divided our packs into three parcels, and made 
for a gully which leads up to a notch between 
Mount Snaefell and a peak to the east. In a few 
minutes we were on a great bowlder-field. On 
the opposite side of it we observed a couple of 
badgers among the rocks. Crossing the maze of 
huge blocks, we scrambled over a big moraine 
and descended into the trouijh. Above us loomed 



90 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

the crags of a splendid arete. We left part of 
our packs and some of our plate-holders at this 
point, and started on our journey skyward. The 
view began to grow more and more imposing, and 
the ascent steeper. The savage arete fell below 
us, and we could look over its spires to distant 
ranges. At 10 30 o'clock we reached the notch, 
and looked down, in a northeasterly direction, 
upon a branch of the south fork of the Dallas 
Eiver. We rested for ten minutes at this point, 
for which our barometer indicated an elevation 
of 13,835 feet Turning directly to the left, or 
northwest, we entered a second gully, which was 
about thirty feet wide. Steep walls rose above us 
on both sides. We climbed in this narrow caiion 
for thirty-five minutes, when we gained a second 
notch, wliich was filled with snow. Carefully 
climbing the cornice of ice, we obtained another 
fine view into the Dallas valley. 

Now some uncertainty entered into our work. 
The miner tried to get up a gully by which he 
thought he had ascended six years before ; he did 
not succeed. I tried another, which looked feasi- 
ble, and after ten minutes' climbing reached a 
ledge from which I saw an easy route to the sum- 
mit. Our only trouble now was from loose rocks. 
The whole summit seems to be falling to pieces ; 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 91 

great blocks rest on insecure foundations, and the 
slightest disturbance sends them bounding down 
the mountain side. I narrowly escaped a serious 
accident, by the giving away of what I supposed 
to be a firm rock, and a second and third clutch 
did but start other unstable stones to add to the 
clatter begun. A fourth grab, however, stopped 
my fall, and I came out with no other harm than 
a few scratches. At the present time, with no 
particular route laid out, there is • just enough 
sharp climbing on the peak to make the ascent 
interesting ; yet every side of the mountain 
appears to present the same difficulties. The first 
climbers seem to have had a hard time of it. 
Ehoda speaks of it as the " hardest climb of the 
season" (1874), and further states that "the first 
half of the height was very steep, but neither so 
tiresome nor so dangerous as the last half." 

We reached the summit at 11.45 o'clock. The 
air was clear, though the smoke of forest fires in 
Montana, which a continued north wind had 
brought into Colorado, interfered with distant 
views to the north. The air was at rest during 
the one and three-quarter hours which we spent 
on the peak ; it was also warm and comfortable. 

After a short survey of the surrounding coun- 
try, we took six pictures from the highest rocks. 



92 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

The negatives, when developed, proved to be very 
good, and would have been much finer but for the 
lack of cloud effect and the hazy aspect of the sky. 
This fault followed us all through the San Juan 
Peaks, except about Silverton. 

Snaefell has a good top, just enough space for 
one to move around easily and enjoy the view in 
all directions. Before leaving Ouray we laid out 
on a cardboard compass bearings and distances of 
all important peaks lying within a hundred and 
twenty-five miles of our mountain, and thus we 
were able to identify many of the visible points. 

Looking immediately down upon the north 
side, one sees a deep gulf, which is described by 
Lieutenant Rhoda in Hayden's Report. This 
recalls the manner of naming the peak. Dr. 
Endlich was standing in the abyss with one com- 
panion, who compared it to the great hole de- 
scribed by Jules Verne in his "Journey to the 
Centre of the Earth." Dr. Endlich agreed with 
him, and, pointing to the great peak above, ex- 
claimed, " There 's Snaefell." Thus the peak got 
its name, though it is pronounced by the people of 
the valley as " Sneffels," and it is so written on 
the maps and in the tables of the Coast Survey ; 
wherefore it is part of the aim of this chapter 
to put on record the true designation, named 




•e-'5r-< '" >■ ^ df ■*^4»''"^ -iter*" 





AN ARETE OF MOUNT SNAEFEL. 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 93 

after the Icelandic mountain Snaefell, lest ere 
long the grand summit be called " Sniffles." It 
is noticeable that already the inhabitants of 
the valley have a strong tendency toward this 
pronunciation. 

Mount Snaefell is admirably placed for a view- 
point. On the north is the valley of the Dallas 
Eiver, stretching far down to the mesa country 
about Montrose. To the west are Lone Cone, the 
San Miguel Mountains, Mount Wilson, Dolores, 
and Lizzard Peaks ; ^ to the east, the Uncompahgre 
group, with its marvellous castellated ridges, the 
main peak overtopping all ; ^ to the southeast, the 
peaks about Silverton ; back of these, the sharp 
points of the Needle Mountahis ; and far beyond, 
many peaks unrecognizable and unnamed. In the 
distance, south, we made out the La Plata Moun- 
tains, with Hesperis Peak, which dominates a 
valley which we hoped to know better in a few 

^ The San Miguel district is described as very picturesque ; 
Monnt Wilson, the dominant peak, is one of the most massive 
in Colorado, East of this mountain is the remarkable trachyte 
obelisk called Lizzard's Head. The summit is 13,160 feet above 
the sea. From a noble pedestal the pinnacle rises 290 feet, 
with a diameter at the base of only about 60 feet : (Hayden's 
Report, 1874, F. M. Endlich, p. 207). 

^ The year following, I made an excursion to tbe summit of 
Uncompahgre Peak, and was thus enabled to view the remarka- 
ble scenery from a fine central view-point. 



94 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

days. Yet we needed not look far to see tlie most 
beautiful sights. Near to our station were peaks 
unsealed and unnamed, which are marked by a 
grace and beauty all peculiar to themselves, — 
peaks with towers, peaks with spires, mountains 
with graceful and beautiful forms. Down at our 
feet, on the other side of the peak, were several 
large lakelets, and we could see the upper edges of 
the great snow-field on the north side of Mount 
Snaefell, — the one that is seen so beautifully 
from the Dallas Eiver. It was a disappointment 
that our time did not allow us to investigate this 
ice-expanse, explore it, and make photographs in 
detail, as no one has been near it, except, possi- 
bly, a few prospectors. Mr. Kedsie, the State 
geologist of Colorado, told me, when we were in 
Ouray, that he believed that this snow-field 
might prove to be a miniature glacier. We ob- 
served one crevasse in an ice-stream miles away, 
high up on another mountain to the west. 

The north face of Snaefell is very ragged in 
appearance, a number of jagged aretes leading 
from the summit. Notwithstanding our interest 
in the perpetual snow-fields, one of the most 
striking points of interest in the view was the 
effect of the newly fallen snow ; white bandS; as 
ribbons, stretched across the face of lofty towers, 



THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. 95 

and in some cases reached for miles in parallel 
lines along whole mountain ranges, maintaining 
equal elevations. This is accounted for by the 
fact that the trachyte rocks lie in benches, these 
benches running across the face of the peaks, and 
the snow thus finds lodgment. Domes far and 
near were all pure white. 

We left the summit at 1.25 p. m., stopping to 
take two views on the difficult ledges. Exploring 
for a new route, we struck a gully which was 
so filled with ice and loose stones that we were 
obliged to descend singly to avoid the danger from 
falling rocks. We hurried down the big gulch 
by which we had ascended, and gained the base 
of the arete, where we had left our plates, at 
2.50 P. M. Here we took some more photographs ; 
and reaching our horses at 3.45, arrived at the 
cabins at 4.15. 

We had so much time at our disposal that we 
captured a number of pretty views around the 
log-cabins, and secured some of the negatives 
which serve as illustrations to this chapter. 

One matter of interest to us in the view from 
the summit of our mighty peak was the fact that 
we could see, far away, fifty miles to the south, 
between the Dolores and Needle groups, the 
beautiful Hesperis Peak and the La Plata Moun- 



96 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

tains, — ranges that stand over the valleys of the 
Mancos, the Animas, and the Dolores Rivers, 
whose banks are lined with ruins of a prehistoric 
race, — scenes that we proposed to visit. Leaving 
the San Juan Mountains with a regret which 
would have been much deeper but that we were 
bound for regions of varied interest, and know- 
ing that we should be in sight of their tapering 
crests for many days, we crossed the range and 
descended through Animas Canon to Durango. 



CHAPTER IX. 



MANGOS VALLEY. 



THE Mancos River — Rio cle los Mancos 
(River of the Cripples ; though why it was 
so called I have been unable to discover) — is 
an alkaline stream which rises in the La Plata 
Mountains. It flows through an open country 
for some fifteen miles, then enters the canon bear- 
ing its name, and soon after emerging from it flows 
into the San Juan River, which in turn soon 
unites with the great Rio Colorado of the West. 

The valley of the Mancos is naturally ap- 
proached from Durango, the principal town of 
southwestern Colorado, upon the southern loop 
of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, which 
has its terminus at Silverton. The high-road to 
Mancos leaves the valley of the Animas and passes 
over an intervening plateau, or mesa, a distance 
of some forty miles. The journey is an interest- 
ing one. The country, it is true, is in a general 
way dry, but in fertile " draws " — as the local 
usage calls the narrow valleys — are thrifty 
7 



98 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

ranches, and in some places crops of wheat and 
oats are raised without the aid of irrigation, while 
in other valleys are scattered groves of very tall 
pines. Dew here is almost unknown, and the 
rainfall is scanty ; but in fierce winter storms 
snow sometimes falls even to the depth of thirty 
inches, disappearing almost as quickly as it came. 
In two hours after leaving Durango the road to 
Mancos diverges to the north, while that which 
we have been travelling continues its course west- 
ward to Fort Lew^is. Reaching the western edge 
of the mesa, the traveller looks down upon the 
valley of the Mancos. If he has made himself 
familiar with the reports of the survey parties, he 
will reach there expecting to see a parched and 
arid region, for the early explorers describe it as 
a desert. On the contrary, there lies spread out 
before him a beautiful land, where broad fields of 
golden grain cover hillside and valley. Near and 
far the prospect is grand and beautiful. Point 
Lookout, the great terrace-like tableland, or mesa, 
on the west side of the Mancos Canon, springs 
like the abutment to a mighty bridge, the im- 
posing Ute Peak rising beyond it in the west. 
Very beautiful in the distant background are the 
La Plata Mountains, which have been in sight 
during our ride over the mesa. Especially re- 



MANGOS VALLEY. 99 

markable are the form and banding of Hesperis 
Peak, which declares its geological structure even 
at this distance of fifteen miles. 

Mancos is an inviting place for its own sake, 
as well as for its being a point of departure for 
the archaeological wonders of the neighboring 
canons. Its history, like that of most Colorado 
settlements, is brief. In 1874 John Moss and 
six others came into the valley. They took up 
claims, but their golden interests lay nearer the 
mountains, or about Parrott City, — so called for the 
man by whom they had been sent out from San 
Francisco to prospect the country, which is not 
devoid of mineral wealth. There are placer mines 
on the high mesas to the north, while coal, on 
which the hopes of Duraugo rest, is found along 
the line of our way hither. The land where the 
village of Mancos stands was not "taken up" until 
more recent years, and as late as 1882 was traded 
away for a horse. 

Near Mancos passed the old Spanish trail which 
led from Abiquiu in New Mexico to the Northwest. 
It is said to have been the route formerly taken 
by traders between Santa Fe and California, 

This was the wonderland which my companion 
and myself, allured by more or less vague reports, 
were making the chief objective point of a visit to 



100 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

southwestern Colorado ; but even when we found 
ourselves at Durango, it seemed difficult to ob- 
tain much information in regard to the now not 
far distant Mancos country. In fact, if we had 
not been well informed in regard to the literature 
of the cliff-dwellings and ruined pueblos, we should 
have been led to turn aside and visit ruins of minor 
importance which exist in the lower valley of the 
Animas, and which have already been fully de- 
scribed, — this upon the representation of enthu- 
siastic residents of that valley. It was but by the 
merest accident that we found ourselves instead 
at the delightful ranch of the Wetherills, on the 
banks of the Mancos. 

Eanch-life is not without its fascinations, and 
here one finds it in its most interesting form. 
"Alamo Eanch," our place of sojourn, is an excel- 
lent type of its class, and a description of it may 
serve for them all. 

With the head of the house it is the same old 
story as with many pioneers. Years ago, in poor 
health and with little money, he rode a pony, 
across the plains from the Missouri Eiver, and 
took up a claim in this remote valley. With the 
help of five strong, willing sons, all has prospered. 
The soil, by irrigation, yields good crops, many 
horses pasture near, and hundreds of cattle roam 



MANGOS VALLEY. 101 

the mesas. Everything about the Alamo Eanch 
gives evidence of thrift and comfort. The barns 
are large and well filled, and enormous stacks of 
hay and straw are near the corral. A second cor- 
ral — a very queer structure — was made by cut- 
ting off the tops of stunted cedars, and using the 
trunks as they stood for posts. Poles were placed 
on the top, and the whole then covered with straw. 
The house itself, situated upon the terrace of an 
ancient river-bed, is built of logs, strong and 
compact. The dining-room — an important ad- 
junct — is large, and has a generous fil-eplace. 
Eight years ago not a tree stood near the ranch- 
house ; but now cotton wood-trees, that owe their 
thrift to the water running in an irrigating chan- 
nel through the yard and garden, give a grateful 
shade. The whole neighboring scene is pastoral : 
a picturesque home has been established in the 
wilderness of sage-brush and pihon-pine. After 
journeying though the more rugged portions of 
Colorado, it is a place at which to stop and rest. 

Stock-raisnig is the principal interest, as the 
great hay-stacks testify. In this valley the an- 
nual " round up " is still held, and will probably 
be kept up for some years to come. Here one 
may see the half-wild broncho trained and made 
docile by plucky cow-boys. Here, too, we see 



102 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

the breed of wool-bearing animals called Navajo 
sheep, with their shaggy fleece. 

Bear and deer are plentiful about Mancos val- 
ley and on the mesas, especially when the heavy 
snows of winter drive them from the mountains. 
In December, 1889, the younger Wetherills killed 
seven deer, and were well supplied with venison. 
The annals of the hunters prove that comical 
things happen even in such an out-of-the-way 
place as Mancos. Near Webber Canon lives a 
ranchman who owned a large dog, which one day 
brought a buck to bay. The deer was holding 
his own against the dog, and the frontiersman 
witnessed the fight from a distance. He had no 
gun with him, but determined to try and knock 
the buck in the head with a stone ; but instead 
of accomplishing this, his intended victim sent 
him up a pihon-tree, and kept him there a long 
time. 

The interest of the archaeologist is excited im- 
mediately on his arrival. Near the Wetherills' 
ranch are some old ruins by the roadside. They 
appear like natural mounds, or heaps of stone ; 
but close scrutiny refers their origin to human 
hands. Broken pottery is strewn all around, and 
specimens of many designs may easily be found. 
Much time would be required to determine the 



^ -1 









^^y^^t^ : 










MANGOS VALLEY. 103 

limits and size of the village or city, for it was of 
considerable extent. Tumbled-down walls cover 
a large field. Whether these structures were de- 
stroyed by an invader, or have simply crumbled 
of themselves, no one knows. 

Such ruins are numerous in this region. The 
best specimens remaining are those at Aztec 
Springs, in the Montezuma Valley, the one next 
west of the Mancos. These are said to be the 
most extensive remains yet found in Colorado. 
Mr. William H. Holmes published in 1878 an 
account of his visit to them. According to his 
measurements, one of the structures is eighty feet 
wide, one hundred feet long, and, as then stand- 
ing, twelve to fifteen feet high. The largest 
house measures one hundred and eighty feet in 
width, by two hundred feet in length. " The 
whole group covers an area of about 480,000 
square feet, and has an average depth of from 
three to four feet. This would give in the vicin- 
ity of 1,500,000 solid feet of stone-work. The 
stone is chiefly of the fossiliferous limestone that 
outcrops along the base of the Mesa Verde, a mile 
of more away, and its transportation to this place 
was doubtless a toilsome work for a people so 
totally without facilities." ^ 

^ Hayden's Report for 1876, pp. 399 e< scq. 



104 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

There are ruins in other localities well worth 
investigation. West of Ute Mountain, near Yel- 
low Jacket Caiion, is a building said to be twenty 
feet or more in height. It is built in a circle, 
within which is a second wall enclosing a circu- 
lar room. The space between the two walls is 
cut into small chambers. In Montezuma Canon 
there is an island formed by a parting of the 
creek, which is said to have been literally covered 
with arrow-points. Near here are many pottery 
kilns, and stone tools have been found. Most of 
the ruins in the western country, about McElmo, 
Yellow Jacket, and Montezuma Canons, are low- 
land ruins, or remains of agricultural settlements. 
The cliff-dwellings are very small. These remains, 
as well as many others scattered over the broad 
plains and along Dolores,^ Hovenweep, and other 
rivers, are not to be compared, as picturesque 
features, at least, with the ruins among the bold 
cliffs of the Mancos Caiions. 

I have made reference in a previous chapter to 
the explorations of Holmes and Jackson among 
the Mancos ruins. Even until within a few 
years, the hostility of the Utes has rendered it 
dangerous for a white man to venture down the 

1 Escalante in 1776 saw ruins on the south side of the Dolo- 
res (Bancroft, vol. xxv.). 




' ''i^ #•-■ ^ti'' 






MANGOS VALLEY. 105 

Mancos Eiver without military escort, so it is not 
until very recently that much has been discovered 
to add to the important revelations of these earlier 
explorers. It was our fortune to meet at this 
ranch Kichard and Alfred Wetherill, sons of our 
host, who are the owners of large herds of cattle, 
which roam through the valleys and over the 
mesas. Straying, as these often do, down into 
the land of the Utes, long rides are required to 
bring them back to the settlements. In taking 
these excursions, Eichard, especially, has dis- 
covered many cliff-houses of great interest in 
Navajo, Moccasin, Acowitz, Cliff, and other 
side canons in the Mesa Verde, and has given 
many of these abandoned dwellings a careful 
examination. 

It was our good fortune to be the first to ex- 
plore thoroughly this region with the Wetherills. 
In long trips with them we discovered ruins that 
had probably never been seen by white men be- 
fore, and succeeded in scaling cliffs and entering 
dilapidated fortresses that appeared inaccessible. 
Equipped with a camera, we made many photo- 
graphs and plans, and systematically explored the 
surrounding country. On this first trip we were 
accompanied by Eichard and John Wetherill. 
Again, in September, 1890, I visited the country 



106 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

for the second time, and with Eichard and Alfred 
Wetherill took a new route, and explored more 
southern canons, journeying by Indian trails, 
parts of which had never been followed even 
by my intrepid companions. I take to myself, 
however, no credit of discovery, for one bent on 
finding hitherto unknown ruins in this locality 
must necessarily have one of the Wetherills along 
with him to inform him whether any supposed 
discovery is real or imaginary. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE UTE INDIANS. 

UNDER the caption "Wild Tribes" I have 
made reference to the great tribe of Yutah 
Indians ; bnt some description of these people as 
they exist to-day in the Land of the Cliff-Dvvellers 
naturally forms a part of any description of this 
country. In the eastern section of their reserva- 
tion, along the line of the Denver & Rio Grande 
Railroad, the Indians cultivate the land, and have 
taken some steps toward civilization ; their farms 
are an interesting feature of the landscape as one 
sees them from the car windows. But farther to 
the west, in Mancos and McElmo Canons, and 
about the Sierra el Late Mountains, the tribe 
known as the Weeminuches lead a roaming, pas- 
toral life. They do not wish to be civilized ; they 
tend their herds of cattle, their droves of horses 
and flocks of sheep, and hunt among the moun- 
tains, frequently trespassing beyond the boun- 
daries of their reservation. They dwell in 
" wickyups," — arbor-like shelters made of poles of 
aspen and covered with brush. These make good 



108 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

habitations for the summer months, but in winter, 
even when covered with skins, they cannot be 
very warm, and their occupants must suffer from 
cold ; for snow at times lies deep on the plateaus, 
and fierce icy blasts from the San Juan Mountains 
sweep down through the caiions. 

The Utes are decreasing in numbers, and will 
probably be removed ere long to lands to be set 
apart for them in Utah. Doubtless this change 
will be for the commercial interest of Durango 
and neighboring towns ; but it will remove one 
of the picturesque attractions of the locality, and 
the ethnologist will lose the last chance to study 
the tribe in its native haunts. 

Originally there were seven bands of the Utes. 
In northwestern Colorado were those of the White 
River country, whose chief was Nevava, — the 
story of their raids, ravages, and massacres are 
among the saddest annals of Indian warfare ; 
south of these were the Uncompahgre Utes, led 
by Ouray, a chief who was very friendly to the 
whites. On the frontier of New Mexico were the 
southern Utes, under Ignacio, whose name is per- 
petuated by a town in the reservation. In Utah 
lived the Uintah Utes, and there were three bands 
in New Mexico.^ 

1 Bancroft, vol. xxv. p. 470. 




^*' 



TOWER IN MANCOS CANON. 



THE UTE INDIANS. 109 

The Southern Utes, as now gathered in the 
reservation, are divided into three bands, — the 
Capotes, Muaches, and Weeminuches.^ One band, 
whose chief is Mariana, camps south of Ute 
Mountain. The last chief of the Weeminuches 
was named Capazone. He died several years ago, 
and when we visited Mancos Cailon, his squaw 
was the ruler of the band. 

These Indians often visit the Alamo Eanch, 
where we made our headquarters. They are made 
welcome, feel at home, and receive what they 
come for ; namely, plenty to eat. They call the 
senior of the household their father. To this 
friendliness may be attributed the success of 
Eichard Wetherill in making his discoveries and 
explorations in the canons. It appears that what 
had been a hindrance to others had never deterred 
him from entering the wild regions. Even dur- 
ing the skirmishing warfare of only a few years 
ago, the friendly intercourse between the Wetherill 
family and the Indians was not broken, and they 
exchanged visits all through the period of the 
border fights. Yet recently the Utes have made 
way with at least one adventurer who had strolled 
into their domain. 

1 Bancroft gives Mowaches, Tabaquaches, and Weemij]fuaches 
as living in New Mexico. Other anthorities write of Kapoti, 
Muachi, and Wiminuchi (vol. xxv. p. 470). 



110 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

One evening during my stay, on returning from 
exploring some burial-mounds, I found three Utes 
at the ranch. They were to sleep in the hay- 
stacks, but had come to the house for supper. 
Two were from Mancos Canon, and one was from 
the eastern section of the reservation, Los Piiios. 
The latter spoke a little English, and had had 
some schooling at the agency ; but this evening 
all hung their heads and were uncommunicative. 
We gave them some tobacco, which they rolled 
in paper and smoked. They were given a good 
supper, and then became more social. One was 
very fat, and his hunger was not easily satisfied. 
After the others had finished, he reached for the 
boiled bone which remained on the platter, and 
gnawed it clean. The blankets which they wore 
were of the ordinary government pattern, and not 
very showy. The Los Piiios Indian and one of 
the Mancos tribe were without head covering, but 
the fat man wore a sombrero ; they wore buck- 
skin moccasins, the soles of raw-hide. On asking 
the Los Piiios man if he made them, he answered 
that his squaw did the work, but that he could do 
it. The fat man's name was Wanamesa, and his 
comrade's Acowoitz, — a name very like that of 
one of his more prominent tribesmen. I found 
that the Los Piiios Indian, who was the youngest 



,-, r" 



i^i 



in 



n-'r 




%^ 






THE UTE INDIANS. Ill 

of the three, could write a little, and after con- 
siderable talk he wrote his name in my note-book, 
— " Charvyz." After their sujDper they came 
into another room with me, and I talked with 
them for an hour. I showed them a volume of 
photographs, — views which I had taken, in their 
own country, of canons, cliff-houses, and " wicky- 
ups." They recognized many of the pictures. 
Views of the mountains did not seem to mean 
much to them. 

They saw my camera, which was standing in 
one corner of the room, and asked what it was 
for. On being informed, they denounced it as 
" no good," even Charvyz saying that it was " not 
very much good." Eichard Wetherill, coming 
into the room, pointed the instrument at Aco- 
woitz, when he fled precipitately, and we did 
not see him again that night. We endeavored 
to persuade the remaining Indians to sit for 
their pictures the next day; only Charvyz con- 
sented. We succeeded, however, in getting 
pictures of all. 

Interesting as we found this meeting with In- 
dians at the ranch, it was still more so to see 
them in their homes. We afterward met them 
on the plateau and in the canons. Our first 
meeting was in Mancos Canon. Mr. Howard, 



112 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Eichard and John Wetherill, and I had been ex- 
ploring the Sandal Cliff-house, which will be de- 
scribed in the next chapter. We had left it, to 
journey farther to the south, following the stream. 
Soon the path abandoned the river, and by nu- 
merous obstacles was crowded high up on a terrace 
on the west side and above the trees, so that we 
obtained a clear view of the opposite walls and 
steep slopes. Suddenly we saw a drove of horses 
upon the hillside, and following them there rode 
an Indian, with a little Ute sitting behind him 
astride the steed. The red-man caught sight of 
our " outfit," and for a long time regarded us with 
a stern curiosity ; he evidently considered us as 
intruders in his domain. He was a picturesque 
figure, without covering for his head, his black 
hair flowing down his back, and with a Navajo 
blanket over his shoulders. He did not take his 
eyes from us till we had passed down into the 
brush in the river-bottom. 

The next morning found us en route for the 
portion of the mesa lying between Cliff and 
Navajo Caiions, this time to explore a w^estern 
tributary of the Mancos. After an hour's riding 
to the south we came upon old Indian " wickyups," 
and in a few minutes more passed some which 
were comparatively new. Their owners were ab- 



THE UTE INDIANS. 113 

sent. These dwellings we photographed, for they 
were of great mterest, as showing the difference 
between the abodes of the Utes, the present in- 
habitants of the valley of the Mancos, and those 
of the more skilful builders of the houses among 
the cliffs. The " wickyups " were made of poles 
of box-elder, thatched with twigs of willow and 
water-birch. An opening led right through them. 
These that we photographed were for summer 
use, and especially for shade. The peimanent 
abodes are covered with skins or tent-cloth. In 
one of these arbors we found willow-coil, which 
the Utes use for making water-jars, examples of 
which we saw later. Near by were mound-ruins. 
The valley is broad at this point, and there is 
considerable feed for stock. 

Shortly we came upon a flock of sheep and 
goats ; and a little farther on, the barking and 
yelping of many curs warned us of our approach 
to an encampment. It was only that of one 
family, however, — the temporary home of Ta- 
bayo, the Indian whom we had seen tending his 
herd of horses the day before. 

Two little girls fled from our presence into 

a "wickyup," of which there were three: two 

of these were covered with canvas. Old Tabayo 

came forth, not to greet, but to eye us with a 

8 



11-1 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

surly indifference. He stood glaring, not moving 
a muscle nor relaxing his features. The young 
maidens now ventured out again, and began to 
throw stones at the dogs, wliich threatened to 
eat up our faithful canine companion. Eichard 
dismounted, fearlessly advanced, and took Ta- 
bayo's hand, which the Indian seemed reluctant 
to grant. After a little broken and unsatisfac- 
tory attempt at conversation, our guide beckoned 
to me to come forward. I jumped from my 
horse, and was introduced with the utterance 
of the single word " Tabayo." The surly savage 
barely acknowledged my salute, but permitted us 
to look around. I should have felt more at ease 
if there had been fewer dogs at our heels. Tabayo 
exhibited a poor specimen of a stone axe from the 
mound ruins, which he was willing to barter 
for something. The only word he uttered was 
" Swap ? " 

A fire was smouldering in front of one of the 
wigwams, and the carcase of a sheep hung in a 
tree near by. We noticed in one lodge a water 
jar which was made from willow, stripped and 
made tight with piiion-gum. One of the two 
squaws came out and sat down. She was fat, 
and seemed of a jolly nature. She was occupied 
in mending one of Tabayo's moccasins : we had 









'/' 




THE UTE INDIANS. 115 

observed that one of his feet was minus a cover- 
ing. He had lost one eye, and his name is said 
to have some relation to this fact. Eichard asked 
him to allow us to photograph his group ; but 
scowling, and lifting his stone axe to a threaten- 
ing position, he made us understand by the use 
of this universal language, little assisted by his 
mother-tongue, that he would break the instru- 
ment if we undertook the operation. We might 
perhaps have secured a picture by strategy, al- 
though these Indians are as cunning as they are 
superstitious. We thought it best not to jeopar- 
dize our position, and run the risk of being driven 
from their territory and perhaps losing what nega- 
tives we had already secured of more valuable 
subjects. We offered him " un peso " for the 
desired privilege ; but he rejected the offer with 
scorn. The Utes do not seem to care much for 
money. They would be more apt to plunder a 
stranger for his " outfit," saddle, or arms, than for 
any silver that he might carry. 

Eichard filled up Tabayo's tobacco-pouch, and 
we turned to ride away. Then the Indian seemed 
to relent, and fixed his price at " diez pesos ; " but 
we did not heed him. I expected that he would 
call us back, but he did not. Eichard said that he 
could have been brought to change his mind, if 



116 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

not for less money, for a reasonable share of our 
provisions, if we could have palavered with him 
for an hour ; but we had no time to lose, and were 
already much belated. Later on, I had no trouble 
in securing pictures of the Indians. Tabayo him- 
self has since had his portrait taken ; but the 
operation required much time and considerable 
talk. One picture has been sent to me which is 
said to have cost fifty pounds of flour. The old 
Ute dressed himself in all his finery, consisting 
of beaded buckskin sash, and pockets of the same 
material. He is now a sufferer from rheumatism, 
and it is to be hoped that he does not charge it to 
the fact that his features have been impressed on 
a gelatine film. 

Leaving these children of the wilderness, we 
rode on down the valley, and after an hour's jour- 
ney turned up a rocky path to climb the mesa. 
Far down the canon, — which here wr.s of wide 
expanse and very level, — we spied the smoke of a 
larger Indian encampment. Suddenly a mounted 
redskin emerged from the group of " wickyups," 
and galloped furiously over the plain. As we 
mounted higher, he put spurs to his horse, and 
soon overtook us. With only a glance at those 
of us who were behind, he rode up to Eichard 
and took his proffered hand ; yet there was mis- 



THE UTE INDIANS. 117 

chief in his look as he demanded our intentions. 
Our guide pointed out the direction of our jour- 
ney, — over the mesa, and home by a western 
route, — and added to his sign language the words 
" one sleep." The Ute observed our spade ; he 
seemed dissatisfied. Then he expostulated in Ute, 
Spanish, and English, so mixed up in vocabu- 
lary that it was difficult to comprehend ; but 
out of the jargon I caught the following ideas : 
" White man rich ; Indian poor. White man dig 
up Moquis, make Ute sick : little Ute, big Ute, 
all heap sick." ^ He made motions indicative of 
the process of excavation, and with a threatening, 
superstitious look seemed bound to prevent any 
such sacrilege of the graves of the departed 
tribes. Eichard insisted that we did not intend 
to disturb the bones of the Moquis, but were to 
photograph the ruins. This latter operation he 
explained by pointing to our apparatus, and going 
through the motions of looking through glass. 
Wap (for such was his name) now made a de- 
mand for toll for the privilege of going over the 
mesa ; but Eichard, pointing to the high climbing 
sun, answered, "Ken savvy" (^Quien sale). As 

^ This reference to the Moquis shows that the Utes have a 
tradition that the Moquis are the descendants of the Cliff- 
Dwellers. 



118 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

we turned away, Wap exclaimed : " No money, 
Eicliard no come back in caiion." The Ute stood 
motionless, regarding us till we were high among 
the upper cliffs of the canon, when he turned 
wrathfuUy away and gallojDed to the north 
toward Tabayo's " wickyups." I must confess 
that I watched these tents till they were all out 
of sight, for I feared to see Wap and Tabayo 
mount their ponies and gallop down toward the 
lower encampment, where generally a dozen or 
more braves are to be found. Such a force, if 
gathered, could have compelled us to return to 
Mancos, thus frustrating the important plan of 
our expedition. We were not even armed, to 
show bluster if threatened; a rickety revolver 
in Eichard's belt being the only weapon in the 
outfit. 

Taking into consideration his friendship for 
Kichard, Wap's conduct was very strange. Two 
days before, John Wetherill and others had met 
him, and offered him four dollars to guide them 
over the mesa by the route which we were fol- 
lowing, — a way known only to Eichard and the 
Indians. He did not catch the idea, accompanied 
them only a little distance, and then demanded 
his money. This was refused him, — which may 
explain his surliness. Wap is not a man of any 



THE UTE INDIANS. 119 

influence, and Richard said that he did not antici- 
pate any difficulty from that source. The next 
winter Wap changed his tactics, and was of great 
assistance to the explorers of the cailons, though 
at first he was inclined to hinder their work. A 
person of more brains and greater influence in the 
valley is Acowitz. He is a friend of Richard's, 
and we hoped to meet him on the mesa, where he 
frequently herds his cattle in company with some 
of the Navajo Indians ; but he did not chance our 
way. He was somewhat in Wetherill's debt for 
the loan of a rifle and other small favors. 



CHAPTER XL 

MANGOS CANON. 

MANGOS CANON is the great median vein 
passing through the Mesa Verde, which 
receives from right and left the numerous tribu- 
tary caiions. The distance from Wetherill's 
Ranch to its southern opening in the San Juan 
valley is estimated at thirty-seven miles, and the 
width of the canon at that place is about three 
miles. In the narrower portions, the gorge is 
perhaps half a mile wide. At the opening to the 
north, the mesa walls, like great portals, are sep- 
arated about five miles with a sloping, nearly 
level, tract between. The whole length of this 
canon is of interest to the archaeologist, but so 
much of it has been described by Messrs. Holmes 
and Jackson that it remains only to call atten- 
tion to a few ruins that chanced to escape their 
observation. 

Two hours' journey from Mancos brings one to 
the mouth of Webber Caiion, the first tributary 
gorge on the left, or southeastern, side. All the 
ranches have been passed before this point is 



MANGOS CANON. 121 

reached. The path is henceforth an Indian trail, 
and the river must often be forded. Here, how- 
ever, it is only worthy the name of creek, for the 
irrigatimj ditches of the farmers above take the 
greater part of its waters. Lower down, however, 
it regains some of the loss. Scarcity of water is 
the scourge of the country. Mancos Eiver is an 
alkaline stream. The springs, rarely found, are 
alkaline ; bvit when much rain falls, the potable 
quality of the river water is improved. 

Near the junction with Webber Canon are 
numerous mounds similar to those near Mancos 
village. Their presence is first intimated by 
fragments of pottery scattered over the ground. 
The building material was sandstone. Excava- 
tion shows regular walls, and in the burial-mounds 
bones of the ancient people are found. 

An hour and a half farther to the south there 
is a very interesting cliff-house, which is situ- 
ated high above on the right, or northwestern, 
cliff. It takes but ten minutes to reach it from 
the trail below. The ruins are placed under an 
arched cliff, the space of which we estimated at 
thirty feet high in front, and about eighteen feet 
in the rear, where the masonry abuts against the 
stone roof of the cave. Six front rooms are still 
to be seen, only three of which are well pre- 



122 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

served. Two of them are circular. All the space 
under the cliff, perhaps a hundred feet in length, 
had evidently at one time been covered by the 
structure.^ The material used in the building 
was sandstone, of the same composition as the 
surrounding cliffs. The stones of the walls of the 
house gave evidence of having been rudely faced. 
The mortar used was evidently made from the 
fine alkaline detritus of the cliffs. Some of the 
walls had been plastered with material taken 
from the river-bed ; it was put on with the hands, 
and the finger-marks show the manner of doing 
the work. In the north enclosure is a painting 
of a small sized hand in red. On one of the walls 
is a human figure five inches and three-quarters 
high, represented playing a flute-like instrument.^ 
The floors of the room are pretty well demol- 
ished. From the north apartment a peculiar 
shaped door leads into a back chamber. But for 
the fact that it is the entrance to an enclosure 
which could have had no light, one would be 

1 While I was making notes, my companion made a ground- 
plan, which I am able to present here. The measurements were 
obtained by pacing off the different rooms. The walls, generally 
twelve inches thick, are sixteen inches thick in a circular house ; 
the plan so represents it. 

2 A flute was found in a cliff-house, and is now in a collection at 
Denver. 




Planof 1^ CLIFF DWELLING Mancos Canon. 



i . . . . i 'f f " f 

App.^..mrt. Sot of f.:.» 



/^ 













y , . -'i' 



r 



^'^^ ,^ 






// "-^-^ - 














/ 







^-C 






— W^ 




CANONS 

OF THE 

MANGOS RIVER. 

COLORADO 



a^ Ir.iporfoMt Chfl Houtisj. 
n^ iri!^ Lowlu..d ond Mcsi, Run 



MANGOS CANON. 123 

inclined to take it for a window. The lintel is a 
charred cedar stick ; there is a good stone sill. 
From the number of sandals found in this build- 
ing, it is called the Sandal Cliff-house. 

The house fronts the east. Upon the opposite 
side of the caiion, quite low down, is one building, 
and high up on the cliff is another ; they are 
both small, and difficult to detect with the naked 
eye. It has been stated for a fact heretofore that 
all the houses were built upon the western sides 
of the canons, so that the rising sun could shine 
into them. This is an error, for some of the finest 
ruins have been discovered upon the eastern face 
of the cliffs. 1 

The night following our first visit we pitched 
camp a few miles south of the Sandal Cliff-house, 
in a clump of box-elders at a point a little above 
the entrance to Cliff Canon, a tributary of the 
Mancos from the west. By reason of a heavy 
shower which had drenched us, the branches were 
so wet that we could not cut any boughs for a 
bed ; so, stretching a wagon canvas, which had 
covered one of the packs, between two trees to 
keep off the rain, we spread blankets on the 

1 Crest of the Continent, p. 160 ; also Hayden's Report, 1876 
(W. H. Jackson), p. 376 : "We could not find even the faintest 
vestige of ruins or houses upon the eastern side. " 



124 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

ground, and then dried ourselves by the camp-fire. 
During the evening I was able to make notes 
by the firelight. We also changed our exposed 
negatives from their plate-holders, in order to be 
able to start in the morning with thirty-two dry 
plates in readiness for use. The river ran very 
near our camp. The liquid was disagreeable to 
the taste, and very muddy. We bailed some from 
a pool that contained water that had overflowed 
from the stream, and thus had had time to settle. 
The disagreeable flavor is not noticeable in coffee, 
but merely boiling the water does not seem to 
improve it. The night was pitch-dark, and we 
could see nothing when beyond the immediate 
reflection of our camp-fire. Eain continued 
through the early part of the evening. 

Near this natural camping spot are picturesque 
views of cliffs and ruins. To see to advantage 
one of the best of these, which is perched high up 
on the western side and which is difficult to 
detect without a glass, we found it necessary to 
climb the eastern wall of the canon to a height 
of about two hundred feet. From here the ruin 
seems quite inaccessible, but may be reached 
without much difficulty. The canon walls from 
this outlook are very bold and striking ; upon the 
opposite wall, coal shows in seams. A most 



MANGOS CANON. 125 

interesting feature of the views was a grand 
tower standing at the entrance to Box Canon, a 
short gorge to which this name has been given, 
though all the very short canons bear the generic 
name of " box caiions," because they end abruptly 
against high cliffs, thus differing from the long, 
lateral gorges, which are likely to offer easy 
entrance from their upper extremities. In this 
particular cleft there are a number of small 
houses which have never been in any way ex- 
plored. Our camp, in the trees below, veiled with" 
the ascending smoke, was very picturesque. 

A few miles south of our camp we found other 
ruins in the valley ; they are some distance from 
the river, on the western side, at a point where 
the caiion widens. It is doubtful if they have 
ever been described. Within a short distance of 
each other, two towers are standing, similar to 
the watch-towers of the early explorers. The 
ruin of the higher one measures twelve feet above 
the ground. The smaller one is six feet high, and 
twelve feet in diameter. There are ruins near 
the latter, which are thirty-six feet in diameter. 
This building does not show great skill in work- 
manship, as the stones of the walls do not break 
joints. 

Euins to the south of these towers, both upon 



126 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

the cliff and in the valley, have been visited and 
already described ; for this reason, and especially 
because we had laid plans to ascend the mesa and 
investigate more promising localities in the side 
canons, we did not take the time to examine 
them. 



CHAPTER XIL 

ACOWITZ CANON. 

ACOWITZ CANON", which joins the Mancos 
from the east, is one of the finest of all 
the side ramifications, and contains antiquities 
well worth investigation by the archaeologist. A 
good Indian trail traverses the whole lencrth of 
Mancos Canon, and similar paths lead for some 
distance up its branches ; but to visit the remoter 
ruins it is much easier to ascend the walls of the 
main canon to the surface of the mesa, ride across 
the plateau, and thus strike the tributaries well 
up toward their beginnings : such was our method 
of approach in the visit, the story of which I am 
about to tell. 

Our temporary home was a camp in Mancos 
Caiion, the situation of which was described in the 
last chapter. My companions were Mr. Howard 
and Eichard and John Wetherill. Our outfit 
consisted of five horses and one pack-mule. One 
of the horses, called Kaiser, is a splendid pack- 
horse, requires no leading, and finds his own trail. 



128 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

The mule Jiffy also served us well ; but one 
night, though hobbled, he strayed far away, and 
we saw him no more. He probably joined Ta- 
bayo's herd. This straying of animals is one of 
the annoyances of camp life, and an extra man is 
useful if for no other purpose than to " round them 
up " in the early morning, for they often roam a 
long way from camp in their search for food. 

It was early on one glorious September morn- 
ing that we four left camp, mounted upon our sev- 
eral animals, to ascend to the top of the steep mesa 
on the east, journeying by a rough Indian trail, 
bound for some ruins in Acowitz Canon. Near 
the trail a sharp ridge, or dike, of igneous rock 
has been thrust up through the sandstone. In 
twenty minutes we were forced to dismount and 
lead our horses the rest of the way ; and as much 
more time spent in hard walking brought us to 
the flat summit of the mesa, perhaps eighteen 
hundred feet above the river. From this point is 
obtained a good view of houses in Cliff and Mancos 
Canons, also an outlook toward the western 
mountains, — the Sierra El Late. An hour's ride 
across the country, over a comparatively level 
tract, through piiion-pine and junipers, brought 
us to a fork of Acowitz Canon in which are cer- 
tain remarkable ruins. 



•iW 




ACOWITZ CANON. 129 

We tied our horses to trees at some distance 
from the great ravine. Here, as on the edge of 
many of the other chasms, there is no soil, grass, 
or trees within several hundred feet of the brink. 
The surface is smooth sandstone, with here and 
there great hollows tilled with rain-water. These 
places are called " tanks " by the ranchmen, and 
are the only sources of water supply for deer or 
cattle on the mesa. 

To be exact, the group of ruins which we pro- 
posed to photograph is situated on the western 
cliff of the third left-hand fork of Acowitz Cailon. 
As one skirts the edge of the abyss the structures 
below are invisible, neither is there any way 
of descending to them ; so we worked our way 
around the head of the gorge to the opposite, or 
eastern, side, and there found a wall which must 
have been used as a fortification. Originally the 
breastwork was built with great care, for the 
stones are regular in shape, and have been cut and 
faced. But few of them remain as placed by the 
builders ; yet this little rampart gives a clew to 
the explorer who is hunting for a way down into 
the caiion. Stepping over the tumbled-down 
walls and looking over the precipice, we found 
hewn steps on the face of the cliff, and descending 
by them, as members of the tribes must have done, 
9 



130 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

— as perhaps their ferocious adversaries may have 
done also, — we soon reached the bottom of the 
gorge, and hurriedly scrambled up to the interest- 
ing ruins. 

A strange, wild, lonely caiion. No sounds were 
heard to disturb the scene but the croaking of 
ravens as they flew over our heads. Perhaps 
they were welcoming us as old friends.'' The 
great arched cliff hangs high above the ruins ; but 
a little way from it the canon ends in sheer solid 
walls which sweep around in a curve. Looking 
all about, we see but one exit above, and that by 
the steps which we had descended. Perched in a 
little cleft over our heads was a second group of 
buildings, apparently inaccessible and in good 
repair. I suggested that we try to scale the cliff. 
Eichard thought it impossible, and pointed to the 
trunk of a tree that leaned against the ledge, 
which he had placed there, and which failed by 
some six feet to reach the rounding sandstone 
terrace above. While our companions were rum- 
maging around the lower rooms, John and I tried 
our luck in squirming up the tree. It was of no 

1 American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal, vol. x., 
March, 1888, IS^o. 2 : " The Eaven in the Mythology of North- 
western America," by James Deans: " Ask any of the Indians 
'who made the world and all things therein,' and the answer 
will be, 'The raven.'" 



ACOWITZ CANON. 131 

use ; we could not reach far enough, and there 
was not the slightest hold or crevice for the fin- 
gers. We got an old beam from the ruined floors, 
which was a trifle longer than the log, and fasten- 
ing a rope to one end, we placed the timber up 
against the cliff by the side of the other stick. 
With the aid of the rope, we could gain the top 
of the timber with less expenditure of force. We 
made several attempts in vain to gain the ledge, 
each time being obliged to come down to rest ; 
but at last my companion, whose arms and legs 
were of long reach, after removing much dust and 
debris, was able to get a hand-hold, and clambered 
up. I followed him, and calling to our friends, 
they sent up the spade and camera, then mounted 
after us, and we entered the mysterious rooms. 

How long since human foot had trod those 
sandstone floors ? Surely not since the forgotten 
prehistoric race had deserted the caves. Certainly 
no white man had ever entered these walls before, 
and the superstitious Ute would not dare to ven- 
ture under the shadow of the cliff. After our 
difficult tussle in scaling the wall, we thought we 
might be rewarded by finding some rare specimen 
of the ceramic art known to the dwellers among 
the caves, — a graceful pitcher, or a water jar, 
standing on a shelf waiting to be called for ; but. 



132 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

on tlie contrary, there was an air of desolation 
around the vacant quarters. All was cleaner than 
the ruin below ; it showed no signs of being a 
burial-place or ground in which it would be 
profitable to dig. Undoubtedly the best places 
for such examination are in the lower ruins. 

But we found the little home of a bygone peo- 
ple unique and interesting. We now made some 
photographs of the strange structures. The outer 
walls had been built upon the edge of the ledge, 
and to investigate the different rooms we were 
obliged to bend or crawl behind them, for the 
cliff was very low in the rear. In one of the 
rooms we dug a little, but found nothing. The 
door to this room is of peculiar shape, being wider 
at the bottom than at the top ; we could see no 
reason for it. The floor of the ledge was covered 
with fine dust ; when disturbed by the spade it 
raised a choking cloud, and forced the would-be 
excavator to beat a retreat. On the south corner 
is a very curious little building to which there is 
one entrance. This, again, one would take for a 
window, but that no light could pass through it 
when the whole wall was standing. The race of 
Cliff-Dwellers were not liberal of space when 
they built their doors ; we did not find one high 
enough to pass through without bending. It was 



ACOWITZ CANON. 133 

a fascinatingly queer place ; but we must away, 
for time-consuming caution must be used in the 
retreat from our citadel. We were struck with 
the strength of the position, and believed that we 
could have kept in check a small army of primi- 
tive combatants, if they should have dared to 
storm our position, armed, like ourselves, only 
with stones. 

The rope made our descent comparatively easy. 
My friend and Kichard went down first ; then we 
lowered the plates and camera, threw the spade 
after them, and I followed. John, as the last 
man, looped the rope around a pile of masonry 
and let himself down. He reached out and got 
hold of the tree in safety ; but by a little sliding 
of the cord a big rock was dislodged, and in fall- 
ing it crashed upon the package of dry -plates, and 
I have two pictures fewer to show than would 
otherwise have been the case. 

We now set to work to explore and photograph 
the lower structure. For the latter work we 
were well equipped. We had three lenses, — a 
Dallmeyer of eleven inches focal length, one of 
nine inches, and one of four and one half inches. 
The Dallmeyer was used for all distant views, and 
as often as possible to prevent any distortion ; but 
even the lens of shortest focus had often to be 



134 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

brought in play when in among the ruins and for 
taking interior views. Many parts of the struc- 
ture were in a good state of preservation ; sticks 
and supports were still intact. Floors were made 
of sills of cedar, willow sticks were then laid over, 
and the whole was covered with plaster. In most 
cases the floors have fallen in. We noticed some 
peculiar arrangements : one such was a sort of low 
cubby-hole, outside of the main structure, which 
was eight feet front and five feet deep, with two 
little doors. This may have been used as a store- 
room. We found much broken pottery, — frag- 
ments of large bowls which it would be possible 
partially to restore. 

One very remarkable thing, which showed the 
eccentricity of the builders, was a room which 
appeared to have no entrance. In fact, I walked 



passed a room. A little investigation revealed an 
entrance from the top. The enclosure was eight 
feet square, the entrance a hole seventeen and a 
half inches aperture. The ceiling, of wood, was 
plastered over, and was very firm. Any photog- 
raphers who may be looking for a dark room in 
which to change plates at mid-day when in this 
locality will find this room as good a place as 
could be desired. From its -top I took a photo- 



bl^ 




'■#• 



,. '> 



I 




i^ 



A PHlMITIVE GRiNDSTONL 



ACOWITZ CANON. 135 

graph of one end of tlie edifice, as it was a good 
view-point. We took advantage of this position 
to photograph some interesting grooves on a ledge 
of smooth sandstone which is at the base of the 
walls. This was accomplished by placing the 
camera flat on the roof of the enclosed room, and 
letting the lens hang over. These grooves in the 
rock were made by the natives in sharpening their 
tools ; most of them were large, and probably used 
for grinding axe-edges. On another ledge we 
observed smaller ones, where awls, knives, and 
needles were whetted. 

One of the central rooms is well plastered, 
smooth as a modern wall. A round room had 
piers below the ground floor. These piers also 
are plastered. In the sides of the walls were 
little recesses which may have been used as 
shelves. There is also a door similar to the one 
that we saw and photographed in Mancos Canon. 
Above this door the walls are hollow. 

We had not the time at our disposal to excavate 
among the rubbish, but the slightest investigation 
showed that the place was rich in relics. A little 
scraping away of the earth revealed human bones, 
cloths, matting, etc. From this cliff-house the 
Wetherills and their companions have obtained 
many specimens. 



136 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

In walking among these ruins one passes over 
tumbled-down walls and crosses remnants of 
shaky floors of charred cedar. My companion 
noticed fossil shell impressions on a stone which 
had been used in the building. 

Early in the afternoon Mr. Howard and John 
Wetherill returned to camp, while Eichard and I 
started off on a tour of investigation. We dis- 
covered some houses in the fourth left-hand fork 
of Acowitz Canon, a place that had never been 
visited before. Here stands a good circular room 
with two doors. On the sandstone plateau, near 
the brink of the gorge, is the most remarkable 
crevasse that I ever saw. I called Eichard's 
attention to it, and I hope he will show it to 
those who may travel with him in future. In 
a land where erosion has played such a part 
in modelling the face of the country, a crack is 
phenomenal. Unfortunately, I made no meas- 
urements, and cannot give a reliable descrip- 
tion ; but it was more than a hundred feet long, 
and about a foot in width. It was inclined 
at a considerable angle, and the bottom could 
not be seen. It would be an awful place to 
fall into, as man or animal would be wedged 
in, and assistance could not avail. It made me 
shudder to look into it, though standing on the 



Plan of part of Cliff House in Acowifz Canon. 

O 5 lO 15 

I I I I I ! I i =r::rj 





AN IMPREGNABLE FORT. 



ACOWITZ CANON. 137 

edge of a high cliff would produce no such 
sensations. 

From this box-caiion we went far up on the 
main gulch, leaving our horses behind. From a 
pocket of the canon we had remarkable views 
down the whole length of Acowitz to the Mancos, 
and then through that depression to the magnifi- 
cent mesa which stands above the river's place of 
exit. It was a truly sublime sight. I photo- 
graphed the view, but the camera fails to show the 
beauties of the distant lines. The nearer scene 
is a wild one : quaking aspens grow in the upper 
part of the gorge, and in the bottom are tall, 
stately pines which climb to the height of the 
top walls, and were even with our eyes as we 
looked across the canon. 

I lost, from a stupid double-exposure, several 
very interesting negatives of a weird ruin, almost 
inaccessible, which occupies a secluded cavern in 
this cailon. One single picture, however, which 
is left to me, shows the remarkable structvn^e of 
the cliffs, and the beautiful curve which they 
make as they sweep around to the east. What 
a dark and gloomy place did these mysterious 
people select for their home, or fortress, whichever 
name we may give to it ! A stronghold surely 
it was, impregnable to a foe armed only with 



138 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

arrows and clubs. Tlie great cliff spanning over 
it shielded the inhabitants from all attack from 
the tableland above them ; and the vertical cliffs 
below could not be scaled when rocks were being 
hurled from battlement and tower above. 

As the sun was already sinking in the west, 
we could not examine closer this remote struc- 
ture, but hurried back to our horses, and reached 
our quarters long after dark. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

CLIFF CANON. 

NAEROW winding defiles, precipitous walls, 
bold headlands, and overhanging ledges are 
the characteristics of Cliff Caiion, and within its 
labyrinths are most remarkable ruins. Here it 
was that Richard Wetherill found a large struc- 
ture, which he has called the " Cliff-palace." ^ This 
ruin, which is situated in a branch of the left hand 
fork, can be reached in about five hours from Man- 
cos Caiion. A long day's ride over the mesa from 
the ranches will also accomplish the distance ; but 
the journey from the Mancos is by far the easier 
of the two. 

On reaching the brink of the caiion opposite 
the wonderful structure, the observer cannot but 
be astonished at the first sight of the long line of 
solid masonry which he beholds across the chasm, 
here but a thousand feet wide. In the first 

1 Cliff Caiion was visited some j'^ears ago by a prospector 
named Osborn, who, however, did not penetrate far into the 
heart of the mesa. He is to be credited with the discovery of 
a ruin called the " Brown-stone front " (Montezuma Journal 
[Cortez], Jan. 26, 1889). 



140 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

burst of enthusiasm it strikes one as beincj the 
ruins of a great palace erected by some powerful 
chieftain of the lost people. The best time to see 
the ruin is in the afternoon, when the sun is 
shining into the cavern. The effect is much finer 
than when viewed in the morning. Surely its 
discoverer did not exaggerate the beauty and 
magnitude of this strange ruin. It occupies a 
great space under a grand oval cliff, appearing 
like a ruined fortress, with ramparts, bastions, 
and dismantled towers. The stones in front have 
broken away ; but behind them rise the walls of 
a second story, and in the rear of these, in under 
the dark cavern, stands the third tier of masonry. 
Still farther back in the gloomy recess, little 
houses rest on upper ledges. A short distance 
down the caiion are cosey buildings perched in 
utterly inaccessible nooks. The scenery is mar- 
vellous ; the view down the caiion to the Mancos 
alone is worth the journey to see. 

To reach the ruin, one must descend into the 
canon from the opposite side. What would other- 
wise be a hazardous proceeding is rendered easy 
by using the steps which were cut in the wall by 
the builders of the fortress. There are fifteen of 
these scooped-out hollows in the rock, which cover 
perhaps half of the distance down the precipice. 



CLIFF CANON. 141 

At that point tlie cliff has probably fallen away ; 
but, luckily for the purpose of the adventurer, a 
dead tree leans against the wall, and descending 
into its branches, he can reach the base of the 
parapet. One wonders at the good preservation 
of these hand-holes in the rocks ; even small cut- 
tings, to give place for a finger, are sometimes 
placed exactly right even in awkward places. It 
is evident why they were so placed, and that they 
have not been changed by the forces of the air in 
the several hundred years that have probably 
elapsed since they were chipped out by an axe 
made of firmer rock. There occurs to my mind 
but one explanation of this preservation : erosion 
by wind is one of the important factors in chisel- 
ling rock forms about the Mancos, and as we ob- 
served sand in these hollows, we suppose the wind 
at times keeps the grains eddying round, and thus 
the erosion in the depression keeps pace, perhaps 
even gains, on the rate of denudation of the 
smooth cliffs. 

It takes but a few minutes to cross the canon 
bed. In the bottom is a secondary gulch, which 
requires care in descending. We hung a rope or 
lasso over some steep smooth ledges, and let our- 
selves down by it. We left it hanging there, and 
used it to ascend by on our return. 



142 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Nearer approach increases the mterest in the 
marvel. From the south end of the ruin which 
is first attained, trees hide the northern walls ; yet 
the view is beautiful. The space covered by the 
building is four hundred and twenty-five feet 
long, eighty feet high in front, and eighty 
feet deep in the centre. One hundred and 
twenty-four rooms have been traced out on the 
ground floor. So many walls have fallen that it 
is difficult to reconstruct the building in imagina- 
tion ; but the photographs show that there must 
have been several stories ; thus a thousand persons 
may easily have lived within its confines. There 
are towers and circular rooms, square and rectan- 
gular enclosures, all with a seeming symmetry, 
though in some places the walls look as if they 
had been put up as additions in later periods. 
One of the towers is barrel-shaped ; others are 
true cylinders. The diameter of one circular 
room, or estufa, is sixteen feet and six inches; 
there are six piers in it, which are well plastered, 
and five recess-holes, which appear as if constructed 
for shelves. In several rooms are good fireplaces. ^ 

^ Fireplaces have been rarely observed among the cliff- 
dwellings ; Mr. Holmes writes of one in Mancos Canon 
(Hayden's Report, 1878 ; see illustration, plate xxxiii. 
fig. 6). Dr. Fewkes describes fireplaces in ruins near Zuiii : 
" There is a great similarity in the internal arrangement of 




MURAL DECORATION. 



CLIFF CA5rON. 143 

One of our party built a fire in the largest one, 
which had a flue, but found the draught too 
strong, for his light wood came near going up 
with the smoke. In another room, where the 
outer walls have fallen away, an attempt was 
made at ornamentation : a broad band had been 
painted across the wall, and above it is a peculiar 
decoration which is shown in one of the illustra- 
tions. The lines were similar to embellishment 
on the pottery which we found. In one place 
corn-cobs are imbedded m the plaster in the 
walls, showing that the cob is as old as that por- 
tion of the dwelling. The cobs, as well as ker- 

the several chambers which have been excavated. We often 
find in one corner a square flue resembling a chimney, which 
may or may not be open below on the floor of the room. These 
flues are made of small stones, and are covered with mud on the 
interior. In one room there were two of these flue-like struc- 
tures, which were placed side by side. From the small size of 
the rooms and the absence of evidences of smoke in these flues, 
one is reluctant to admit that fires were extensively used in these 
chambers. Still, in some there is good evidence of fire. In the 
Chaco ruins, according to F. T. Bickford (' Century Magazine,' 
October, 1890), 'neither fireplaces nor flues are to be found, 
and it is probable that fires were never built in the living apart- 
ments.' While this may be true of the Chaco ruins, which are 
similar to those of the Zuni reservation, it is certainly not true 
of all the rooms in Hesh-o-ta-uthla. More research is necessary 
to settle this point." (A Journal of American Ethnology and 
Archfeology, edited by J. Walter Fewkes, p. 108 ; Houghton, 
Mifllin & Co., Boston, 1891). 



144 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

nels of corn which we found, are of small size, 
similar to what the Ute squaws raise now with- 
out irrigation. Besides corn, it is known that the 
race of Clift'-Dwellers raised beans and squash ; we 
frequently picked up stems of the latter. It is not 
known that they owned domestic animals, but they 
had turkeys.^ We found a large stone mortar, 
which may have been used to grind the corn. 
Broken pottery was everywhere, similar to speci- 
mens which we had collected in among the valley 
rums, convincing us of the identity of the build- 
ers of the two classes of houses ; and we found 
parts of skulls and bones, fragments of weapons, 
and pieces of cloth. One nearly complete skele- 
ton lies on a wall, waiting for some future anti- 
quarian. The burial-place of the clan was down 
under the rear of the cave. 

Notwithstanding the imposing name which we 
have given it, and which its striking appearance 
seems to justify, it was a communistic dwelling. 
There is no hall leading through it, and no signs 
that it was a home prepared for a ruler of the 
people. It owes its beauty principally to the 
remains of two towers ; it probably owes its 
magnitude to the fact that the length of the 
platform and depth and height of the natural 

^ The pueblos had sheep after the coming of the Spaniards. 



CLIFF CANON. 145 

arch allowed of such a building in such a remote 
quarter.^ 

Naturally this huge ruin interested us as much 
as anything that we met with in our trips. It 
deserves study by expert archaeologists. Thor- 
ough and careful excavation would perhaps re- 
veal many relics which might throw light on the 
early history of the primitive inhabitants. It is 
to be hoped, however, that any work which may 
be done here in the future will be carried on un- 
der competent supervision, and that the walls will 
not be damaged in any way. Collectors, so far, 
have been very thoughtful. With a suitable ap- 
propriation, this structure could be so arranged 
that it could be converted into a museum, and be 
filled with relics of the lost people, and become 
one of the attractions of southern Colorado. 

^ This large open cave, as well as others that I have described, 
are natural, and do not appear to have been enlarged in any way by 
man. Lower down on the Mancos River are small caves which 
have been deepened and the entrances walled up. 



10 



CHAPTEK XIV. 

NAVAJO CANON. 

NAVAJO CANON is a tributary of Mancos 
Canon from the northwest. It joins, near 
the southern extremity (there being but one 
branch south of it), a much smaller one, called 
Ute Canon. With three great branches of its own, 
Navajo Canon much exceeds the Mancos itself in 
the number of miles of cliff-front.^ The differ- 
ent arms are of about the same size, and unite 
into one near the Mancos. Euins are found — over 
a hundred in all — in these three nearly parallel 
gorges and in many short box-canons which ex- 
tend out on all sides. Many of these remains of 
the cliff-dwelling people are unimportant. They 
are either very small, or have for the most part 
crumbled away. Others are well preserved, and 
appear as if only very recently deserted. Such a 
one exists, perched high up on a cliff that looks, 
when seen from the bed of the canon, as if newly 
constructed. Timbers project through the high 

1 I hardly dare to estimate the number of miles, but it must 
be over a hundred. 



NAVAJO CANON. 147 

walls, but there is no opening below them. One 
of my comrades gained an entrance by splicing 
poles together, and climbing up to the top of the 
walls. He found in the interior ten whole pieces 
of pottery in plain sight. The inhabitants used 
coal for fuel. 

In another cailon are three interesting ruins in 
close proximity on the same side of the gorge. 
The primitive families might have been very 
neighborly if they had chosen to be. In one of 
these houses is a fireplace which has a raised 
hearth and fender ; this was built of stones, and 
plastered. In one of the other houses, in an 
estufa, or circular room, is a fireplace which was 
once honored with a chimney ; some of the work 
remains. These ruins can be reached from the 
mesa by descending through a cleft in the rocks. 
It is not a difficult feat to perform, except when 
one is burdened with a heavy pack. 

Perhaps the best-preserved remains of a clitf- 
dwelling eyrie — at least one that retains more 
features of interest than many of the other ruins 
— is one that is situated in a right-hand branch 
of the second large right-hand fork of Navajo 
Canon.i It is about three hundred feet long. 
Under a natural sheltering rock, remains are 

1 This is applicable to one going up the course of the canon. 



148 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

standing of three stories. Originally the building 
was probably five stories high, and was built in the 
form of a terrace, the two lower tiers having been 
built outside the limits of the arch, and lower 
than the platform of the cave, so that what we 
now see standing are the three upper stories. 
The lower parts of the edifice, more exposed to 
weathering, have mostly crumbled away. The 
entrance to apartments in the cave was probably 
made by passing over the top of the outside 
buildings. 

In one portion of the ruin, at the base of the 
doors to the upper rooms, are many timbers which 
project out from the wall. Though the floor of 
the scaffolding has all fallen away, this would 
seem to show that there was once a balcony 
here. 

The masonry of the building is all of very good 
order; the stones were laid in mortar, and the 
plastering carefully put on, though, as the cen- 
turies have elapsed, it has peeled off in certain 
spots. At the north end of the ruin is a specimen 
of masonry not to be seen in any other cliff-house 
yet discovered. This is a plastered stone pier 
which supports the walls of an upper loft. It is 
ten inches square, and about four feet high. Rest- 
ing on it are spruce timbers which run from an 



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NAVAJO CANON. 149 

outer wall across the pier to the back of the cave. 
Above the pier is a good specimen of a T-shaped 
door, with lintel of wood and sill of stone.^ 

One lintel was made with eleven small sticks 
about three quarters of an inch in diameter, which 
were very smoothly plastered over. The floors 
were also made in the same manner, by placing 
twigs and mud over the sills. Lying among the 
debris are masses of plaster which show the 
grooves made by the sticks and twigs, and many 
fragments of mortar still hold the sticks imbed- 
ded in them. Sills and beams were neatly 
smoothed on the upper surfaces. 

Much care was used in finishing the walls ; lit- 
tle holes were filled up with small stones or 
chinked with pieces of broken pottery, of both 
painted and indented ware. Some of the walls 
are decorated with lines similar to those described 
as existing in the cliff-palace. Other designs are 
somewhat different. One of more interest is a 
rude picture which represents two turkeys fight- 
ing. Below one opening we found the door that 
originally closed it. This door was a thin stone 
slab fourteen and a half inches wide at one end, 

^ I have described piers as existing in some estufa-s, hut they 
are built into the main walls. This pier is detached, and stands 
by itself. 



150 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

and fifteen and a half inches wide at the other 
end, and two feet and one inch high. It had an 
average thickness of an inch. Imbedded in the 
walls, upon each side of the opening, were staples 
made from loops of willow. Lying at the base 
of the entrance was the stick which had held the 
door in place. We put both in their proper 
positions, and the result shows in the accompany- 
ing illustration. There were several of these 
slabs lying among the mass of stones. 

In one room is a fireplace; but as there was 
no chimney, the walls were blackened by the 
smoke. 

On the outer edge of the ruin, beyond the pro- 
tection of the overhanging cliff, is a spruce-tree 
which has grown from the centre of a room whose 
walls have fallen. This tree is about eighty feet 
high, and, measured at a point twenty inches 
from the ground, it is three feet and three inches 
in diameter. Judging from the rate of growth of 
forests in moister climates, we presume that this 
tree must be at least two hundred years old, and 
we have here one slight clew as to the shortest 
limit of time that must be put on the interval 
passed since its desertion by its occupants or their 
extermination. The building must have been va- 
cated, then the walls given time to crumble and 




STONE PIER. 



NAVAJO CANON. 151 

fall away, before the seed could have taken root. 
How long a time this occupied, probably no one 
will ever know. To obtain an approximate knowl- 
edge of the age of the tree, one of the same size 
could be cut from the canon near by, and the 
rings of growth be counted. To cut this particu- 
lar tree, would be to destroy a picturesque adjunct 
to the ruin, and to obliterate a monument to its 
age.i 

In describing some other ruins, I must say 
that I cannot locate them exactly on the map. 
Our approach to them was from a camp in the 
bed of one of the main branches ; but we travelled 
so far through seemingly interminable ravines, 
and crossed so many gorges, that we lost track of 
their number. 

At the end of a box-canon is one of the grand- 
est natural arches in the region. On the ledge 
under this arch was once a great building ; but as 
the cave is very damp, most of the structure has 
fallen. The stones and remains of pottery and 
implements have been disintegrated, and little 
remains that is of special interest. One remark- 
able feature, however, deserves mention, — a great 
stairway leading down to the ruin. But for this, 
the investigator would be obliged to make a 
1 See illustration facing p. 156. 



152 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

long detour, and follow the canon bed for some 
distance. There are eighty of these stone steps. 
Some are natural, others were cut in the ledges, 
while more are stone slabs simply fitted into 
place. The descent is thus made with ease. 

There is another mighty arch in one of the 
Navajo canons which shelters a ruin well worthy 
of description. This building is visible from the 
brink of the canon, as one journeys up its length. 
To find a place to descend, one must round the 
head of the canon, and follow a long winding 
route over and under ledges to the canon bed. 
The noble arch rises a hundred feet above the 
natural platform. The sloping bed of the caiion 
reaches to the base of this platform, which rises 
like a terrace to a height of about twenty feet. 
Trees and bushes grow up to the base of the 
ledge. The ledge is approximately four hundred 
and eighty feet long, as we determined by pacing. 
This is the largest cliff-dwelling yet discovered in 
this region. The front walls were built upon the 
rim of the platform, which is curved to the gen- 
eral form of the amphitheatre, and gives the build- 
ing the appearance of an impregnable fortress. 
The walls, of solid masonryy remain firm, and pre- 
sent an imposing front. In the centre the stones 
have broken away in such a manner as to leave 



• 



( 



mam 






PLASTERED AND PAINTED WALL. 



NAVAJO CANON. 153 

standing a high wall, which gives a gothic ap- 
pearance to the ruin. 

At one end three stories remain standing ; the 
upper room is squeezed in under the arch, and 
was entered by a low door. These high-stand- 
ing walls show how the cliff-dwellings were origi- 
nally constructed. They reached to the roof of 
the cave, and were necessarily higher in front 
than in the rear, for the cliffs make over them an 
arch which served as a natural roof. 

As first built, much more space than the plat- 
form was utilized, and a lower terrace occupied. 
Walls that divided rooms and formed the ends 
of the structure run down among the trees and 
bushes; the lateral walls have all fallen down. 
In some places, where the ground is steeply in- 
clined, the stones of the ruin lie like talus on a 
mountain side. 

On ledges above the main edifice are smaller 
buildings, and in one cranny is a long, low struc- 
ture with thirteen loop-holes in front and two at 
the end. Those in front open at different angles, 
so that any approach from below could be ob- 
served by the watching cliff-climbers.^ 

This ruin, if undisturbed, will doubtless remain 

1 From this fact I have named this ruin the "Loop-hole Fort- 
ress." Occasionally it is referred to here as the "Crenellated 
Fortress," 



154 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

for centuries in about its present condition, and 
cannot but fascinate the archaeologists who shall 
chance to visit it. Perhaps these same ruins, if 
placed on a plain or in a quiet valley, would not 
appeal so strongly to our sense of the marvellous ; 
here, in a remote canon, far from the river, far 
from water of any kind, with high frowning walls 
upon three sides, and an untracked ravine below 
it, one wonders why the lost tribes should have 
selected such a place for their home. 

The standing masonry in itself is of interest. 
The solid front does not give the idea of patch- 
work, as presented in many of the buildings of the 
Cliff-Dwellers. Standing on the parapet and look- 
ing along the front line, there is not a break to be 
seen in its continuity, except as the platform 
bulges in or out. Save that the stones were al- 
ready at hand, shapen by the elements, as they 
had broken off from the cliffs and overhanging 
ledges, the marvel would be greater that a people 
with only stone and wooden tools could have ac- 
complished such a work. 

The light of noonday floods the walls of the 
ramparts, and penetrates into the deep recesses 
of the cave; but, as the sun sinks westward, a 
dark shadow creeps across the front of the cavern, 
and the interior is in deep gloom. It is then that 




CORNER FIRE-FLACE. 



NAVAJO CANON. 155 

the explorer, standing among the crumbled walls 
and gazing up at the loop-holes above, or follow- 
ing with his eye the course of the canon down to 
its end where it joins the greater gorge, wonders 
what events happened to cause this strong fortress 
to be deserted or overthrown. There must have 
been a fearful struggle between a people who 
were emerging from barbarism, and more savage 
hordes, or some great catastrophe of Nature over- 
whelmed them. 



CHAPTER XV. 

AECH^OLOGICAL NOTES. 

OUR first vacation drew to a close, and we 
soon took our way eastward, passing through 
San Luis Park, then under Sierra Blancaand over 
Veta Pass to the plains. A heavy fall of snow, 
and on-coming cold nights, deterred us from at- 
tacking the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range, 
and we turned our backs on the Rockies for a 
year. Yet the memory of great peaks and 
archaeological wonders went with us, and the lat- 
ter were kept constantly before us by reminders 
from the old comrades, who sent us many relics 
which they found in their continued explorations 
and excavations in the wondrous canons. These 
relics were of especial value to us, for during our 
expeditions the time was principally consumed in 
photographing the ruins for picturesque features 
and also in detail ; we had but little time to dig. 
It was in the interval that elapsed between 
our two trips that the Wetherills made their 
systematic excavations, though previous to this 
they had collected valuable material, which now 




SPRUCE TREE IN NAVAJO CANON. 



ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES. 157 

rests in the rooms of the Historical Society of 
Colorado at Denver. 

The story of the inception of this work is as 
follows : One day Richard was riding on the Mesa 
Verde, looking for some strayed cattle. As was 
his custom, he scanned all the little side canons 
in the fascinating search for vestiges of ancient 
people as he passed along the brink of the preci- 
pices. He discovered some remarkable ruins in a 
locality which he had never chanced to visit be- 
fore. Returning to the ranch, he met a party of 
hunters, — among whom was Mr. Charles McLoyd, 
of Durango, — whom he succeeded in interesting 
in his discovery to such an extent that several 
of them spent some three months in excavating 
among the different ruins. Besides the numerous 
nearly perfect specimens of jars, bowls, needles, 
baskets, cloth, matting, etc., eighteen skulls were 
found, — all articles of great interest to the stu- 
dent of ethnology and archreology. 

Hitherto, excepting a few relics found by Rich- 
ard Wetherill, only broken pottery or inferior arti- 
cles had been picked up from cliff-dwellings, and 
but one skull had been discovered, — that found in 
Chaco Canon, to which I have already referred.-' 

^ The title of the catalogue of the collection reads as fol- 
lows: "Catalogue of Ancient Aztec Relics from Mancos Canon, 



158 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Not till early winter did these enthusiasts un- 
dertake systematic exploration for a second and 
more complete collection. As the months wore on, 
it grew larger and larger, and of incalculable value 
to the student of archaeologye But it was secured 
under difficulties. It took ten pack-animals to do 
the winter's work ; yet they all came out in bet- 
ter condition than when the enterprise was begun. 
This is surprising when we realize the difficulties 
of transportation. On one trip the snow was belly- 
deep to the horses and mules. The corrugated 
jars, swung in sacks, were "packed out" on the 
shoulders of the explorers, — a difficult task, con- 
sidering the distance from camp, in a branch of 
Navajo Canon, southwest of the " Cliff-palace," 
and forty-five miles from the ranch. 

Up to March 14, 1890, they had examined in 
all one hundred and eighty-two houses, but few of 

La Plata Co., Southwestern Colorado, collected by an Exploring 
Party consisting of Charles McLoyd,L. C. Patrick, J. H. Graham, 
A. Wetherill, during the winter of 1888-89." In this list 
A. Wetherill represents his several brothers also. 

In 1890 a very large collection of relics was obtained by 
Charles McLoyd and C. C. Graham. These relics wore found on 
the lower San Juan, principally in the Grand Gulch Canon in 
Utah. The collection is now in the possession of Rev, C. H. 
Green (Bulletin of the American Geographical Societj', vol. 
xxiii., Dec. 31, 1891 ; The Cliff-Dwellings of the Mesa Verde, 
by W. R. Birdsall, M. D. This is a very valuable and interest- 
ing account of Dr. Birdsall's visit to the region in 1891). 




RUIN IN NAVAJO CANON. 



ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES. 159 

which yielded much in the way of relics. They 
visited one hundred and six houses in Navajo 
Caiion alone, and worked two hundred and fifty 
miles of cliff-front. Most of the ruins in Navajo 
Canon were of large size, containing from thirty 
to one hundred rooms each. Many ruins were 
found in unsuspected places; many were worth a 
visit just to look at. One was found which had a 
good spring in the back part. Some appeared com- 
paratively new ; others as if they had been lon^ 
occupied; and still others were much dilapidated, 
scarcely a vestige remaining, except small pieces 
of pottery, which age does not seem to affect. 
They commenced their excavations in the first 
cliff-house in Mancos Caiion, — that described in 
the fifth chapter, and illustrated in chapter xi:^ 
They began at a point thirty-five feet to the left 
of the figure seated on the wall in this illustration. 
It will be observed that the ground does not run 
off very steep; yet there is sufficient slope for the 
debris thrown over to slide down the hill, and 
thus easily to be got out of the way. Notwith- 
standing the difficulties and disagreeable nature 
of the work, — for the alkali dust is choking,^ — 

* Phototype, " Sandal Cliff-house," facing p. 120. 
'■* Signs of alkali are represented in some of the illustrations. 
On that facing p. 125 the vertical lines and the character like a 



160 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

they followed up the digging, and were very suc- 
cessful ; they discovered one hundred sandals, — 
some in good condition, others old and worn out, 
— a string of beads, a pitcher full of squash-seeds, 
and a jug with yucca strings passing through the 
handles. This jug was filled with corn well shelled, 
with the exception of two ears.^ They unearthed 
a perfect skeleton, with even some of the toe-nails 
remaining; it had been buried with care in a 
grave two and one half feet wide, six feet long, and 
twenty inches deep. A stone wall was upon one 
side, and the bottom of the grave was finished 
with smooth clay. The body lay with the head 
to the south, and face to the west. It was 
wrapped in feather cloth, and then laid in matting. 
Buried with it was a broken jar, a very small un- 
burned cup, a piece of string made from hair, and 
one wooden needle. 

Next to the wall mentioned above was found 
the body of an infant, which was dried and well 
preserved like a mummy. It was wrapped in 
thin cloth, over that was feather cloth, and encas- 
ing all was willow matting tied securely with 
yucca strings. 

figure 5 are the result of alkaline efflorescence. The same pheno- 
menon is noticeable in the cave ia the illustration facing p. 143. 

1 1 have in my collection a corn-cob with twelve kernels re- 
maining in it. There were originally forty-one kernels in one 
row. 



ARCH^OLOGICAL NOTES. 161 

They found also a piece of rope five eighths of 
an inch in diameter, with forty-eight strands, 
bone needles, awls, stone axes with and without 
handles, twine, arrow-points, a bow-string, a large 
jar, coiled ware, and four skulls. 

In one ruin were found several skeletons, which 
showed by their condition that the dwellers in 
that house had met with a violent death. In a 
room which had but one entrance, and that from 
the top, four persons had been killed, — probably 
with stone axes, for their skulls were broken in. 
They had probably been surprised, and attempted 
to escape by the chimney. One man's legs were in 
the chimney, his trunk in the fireplace, and his 
head and arms in the room. Across one arm lay 
the body of a young person, with head broken in 
the same way, and over both was thrown a mat. 

In one house was exhumed the body of a 
woman. To enter this house they were obliged 
to splice poles and climb up much as we did in 
entering the upper ruin in Acowitz Cailon. The 
appearance of this skeleton was somewhat differ- 
ent from other specimens found ; one circumstance 
noted was auburn hair, though it was turning to 
gray : they also found a large bunch of red hair. 
In another house the excavators found a piece of 

string in a bowl. I have examined this string 
11 



162 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

under a microscope, and, comparing with sample 
plates, find it to be made of cotton. This fact 
shows that the Cliff-Dwellers had intercourse 
with the pueblo tribes of New Mexico and Ari- 
zona, where cotton was raised. 

The excavators also found some long wooden 
sword-shaped sticks, as to the purpose of which 
they were at first in doubt ; since, they have de- 
cided that these were used to beat yucca in order 
to separate the fibres, of which they found quanti- 
ties. Another discovery was a bowl of walnuts, — 
a nut which does not grow in Colorado. The bowl 
was found in a room at a depth of three feet, yet 
it was on an upper floor that had fallen in.^ 

Of over one hundred pieces of pottery found, 

^ Through Mr. Cosmos MindelefF, of the Bureau of Ethnology, 
Mr, Fernew, Chief of the Forestry Division of the Agricultural 
Department, has kindly given the following information : 
"The walnut which you left for inspection can be hardly any- 
thing else than Juglans rupestris, corresponding with specimens 
of the fruit on hand. The field of distribution I have noted 
on the enclosed map, as far as known. You will notice that it 
remains below the plateau country." 

According to the map furnished by Mr. Fernew, Juglans 
ru'pcstris is found in southwestern Texas, southern New Mexico, 
southeastern Arizona, and along the coast of California, between 
San Francisco and Los Angeles.. The nearest approach of the 
tree to Mancos Canon is about two hundred and fifty miles. 
This fact also leads one to believe that the Cliff-Dwellers perhaps 
traded with the Indians of the south. The walnuts were not 
perforated, so were probably not used as ornaments. 



ARCH^OLOGICAL NOTES. 163 

no two are alike. It was anticipated that many 
duplicates of bowls and mugs would be found ; but 
all were in different patterns of painted design. ^ 
The indented or coiled ware was evidently the 
kind which was most in use, more so than the 
painted vessels. Some were buried near the doors, 
with their rims even with the surface of the 
ground, and were probably used to collect water. 
Certain jars were blackened by soot, and were 
probably used for cooking purposes. 

From a study of some of the relics of pottery 
found, it appears that the Cliff-Dwellers imitated 
certain features of their architecture in the pro- 
ducts of the kiln. One specimen, a mug, in my 
collection illustrates this point : in the handle a 

1 Of more than a hundred fragments of painted and indented 
ware which I picked up, all are of different design. One in- 
dented piece was painted on the interior surface. These are not 
common. 

Referring to the San Juan district, Mr. Holmes writes: 
" The ceramic remains are more uniform in character and appar- 
ently more archaic in decoration than those of any other district. 
They belong almost exclusively to two varieties, the coiled ware 
and the white ware with black figures. . . . 

" It is unfortunate that so few entire vessels of the painted 
pottery have been found in this region. The fragments, how- 
ever, are very plentiful, and by proper study of these a great 
deal can be done to restore the various forms of vessels " (Pot- 
tery of the Ancient Pueblos, W. H. Holmes, Washington, 1886, 
p. 315). This lack has now been remedied by the finding of 
many beautiful and complete specimens of painted ware. 



164 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

hole has heen cut which copies the shape of the 
peculiar doorways seen in this region. 

One day I was occupied photographing a ruin 
in Navajo Canon. My companions were busy 
with pick and spade, each intent on his own 
work. One called, "See this specimen of pot- 
tery ; is n't it a rare one ? " I looked, and ob- 
served what he held up to my gaze. It was a 
fragment of fired ware about three inches square, 
with numbers of fine lines above a broader band. 
I had found a number of specimens of similar 
kinds ; but not wishing to throw cold water on 
my companion's enthusiasm, I answered, "Very 
good." He responded, " You don't seem to think 
much of it ; " and he turned the piece over, that I 
might see the other side, or exterior, of the piece 
of bowl or jar, where I observed a picture of a 
bird which we suppose was intended to represent 
a turkey. The head was gone, having been broken 
off, and we searched for the missing piece in vain 
among the debris ; but, notwithstanding its in- 
completeness, it was a good find, for such speci- 
mens are rare. I have already called attention 
to similar painting on a wall in a Navajo Canon 
cliff-house,* and again I have seen a fragment of 
a bowl on which was a drawing representing two 
turkeys possibly about to commence a fight. 
1 See p. 149, chapter xiv. 



ARCH^OLOGTCAL NOTES. 165 

As for clothing, it is probable that wearing 
apparel was scarce. It may have consisted of 
feather or cotton blankets, hair leggings, and 
sandals, strings of beads on their arms, around 
their necks, and over their breasts, with perhaps 
a buckskin cap upon their heads, adorned with 
plumes of turkey feathers. Buckskin may have 
been used as material for making blankets instead 
of fibrous stuffs. Numerous pieces were found, 
but none of sufficient size to give a clear idea of 
the use to which it was put. 

It was thought at one time that certain articles 
of fabric were made from wool ; but inspection with 
a microscope has proved that the material was 
milk-weed fibre. It is unlikely that sheep were 
in the country, except the native bighorn, whose 
horns are found in the canons and on the plateau. 

In a work of this kind it would be hardly of 
interest to give a schedule of relics found, or to 
describe them in detail, — such description would 
only interest the specialist ; ^ but a few of the 
more important relics deserve mention. 

1 I have already referred to the work of W. H. Holmes, 
" Pottery of the Ancient Pueblos." This excellent monograph, 
published in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Eth- 
nology, contains much information in regard to the pottery of 
the tribes who once inhabited the valleys of the San Juau and 
its tributaries. 



166 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Sandals were made from fibres, woven, for the 
most part, in a simple manner by crossing the 
strips. They were fastened to the feet by strands 
of the same material. They were made very com- 
pact, though light shows through them. The 
strands are about three sixteenths of an inch in 
width, and one sixteenth in thickness. The plaits 
are half an inch wide and very thin. As an ex- 
ception, one sandal in my collection is woven of 
much finer material, and looks like an old cloth 
slipper. When it is held to the light, one cannot 
see through it. It has a neat pattern woven in 
it, similar in design to markings on pottery. 

The only specimen of modelling is a small 
image that looks more like a bear than anything 
else. Several pipes have been found, and quanti- 
ties of stone axes, and a few bows and arrows. 
With a large skeleton in Acowitz Cailon was 
found a bow which was four feet eight and 
one half inches long ; the string was of sinew. 

The Cliff-Dwellers used hampers in which to 
carry burdens, and straps to put through the 
handles of their ollas, or water-jars. They had 
brushes made of fibres. 

Interesting as are the relics in themselves, it is 
upon the antiquity of the cliff-dwellings that one 
is led to speculate while among the ruins. It is 



ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOTES. 167 

a question difficult to decide, or to give any 
opinion upon. Located in a dry climate, pro- 
tected from all aerial forces, I see no reason why, 
if unmolested, the walls should not stand a thou- 
sand years as we now see them , and, in my judg- 
ment, there is no reason to doubt that they have 
stood a complete cycle.^ 

The valley ruins have gone a long way farther 
toward complete destruction than have the cliff- 
dwellings. This has led one authority to suggest 
that the cliff-houses " owe their construction to 
events that immediately preceded the expulsion 
of the pueblo tribes from this district." The 
same authority also states that " the final aban- 
donment of the cliff and cave dw^ellings occurred 
at a comparatively recent date, — certainly sub- 
sequent to the Spanish conquest." ^ But allow- 

1 Hayden's Report, 1876, W. H. Holmes, p. 386. Mr. 
Holmes, in writing of standing stones found on the Dolores 
River, says: " Tliat the placing of these stones occurred at a 
very early date is attested by the growth of the forest, which is 
at least three or four hundred years old. In a number of cases 
the stones are deeply imbedded in the sides and roots of the 
trees. " 

2 Hayden's Report, 18/6, W. H. Holmes, p. 408. This state- 
ment is undoubtedly true of cave and cliff dwellings farther to 
the south. It is stated that even some of the Spanish monks 
dwelt at times in the cliff-lodges. For an account of compara- 
tively recently deserted pueblos, see "Journal of American 
Ethnology and Arehajology," vol. i., "A Reconnoissance of 
Ruins in or near the Zuni Reservation," by J. Walter Fewkes. 



168 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

ing that the cliff-houses were deserted only three 
hundred years ago, this would not help us to 
assign a date for the building of some of the 
larger structures, which, from what we know 
of the tools employed, must have been the work 
of time. Not a scrap or piece of metal has 
been found in the d(^bris which rest upon and 
among the tumbled-down walls. Many of the 
stones that we see, which were employed in the 
rearing of the great edifices, must have been 
laboriously shaped by an almost shapeless stone 
axe. Such work, carried on under so great diffi- 
culties, did not allow of villages being constructed 
in a day. 

One fact which has been investigated by that 
eminent archaeologist, Mr. A. F. Bandelier, would 
seem to throw some light upon the subject : " It 
does not appear that the Sedentary Indians of 
New Mexico ever made, within traditional and 
documentary times, any other than the painted 
pottery in greater or less degree of perfection." ^ 
This would prove that the specimens of indented 
ware which we have found cannot be less than 
four hundred years old : how old the painted 
pottery is, we know not. 

1 "Eeport on the Ruins of the Pueblo of Pecos," published 
in the "Papers of the Archseological Institute of America," 
p. 105. 




J 



ARCH/EOLOGICAL NOTES. 169 

As for the state of civilization of the ancient 
people, it could not have been far advanced. A 
community who could huddle together in such 
small, close, unventilated quarters, who buried 
their dead under their floors and under the rear 
of cliffs and back of their mightiest houses, could 
not have reached a very high ideal of refinement. 
Yet it may be we judge too hastily. Perchance 
these remote fortresses were subjected to a long 
siege by crafty Ute or fiery Apache, wherein 
the heroic defenders stood out to the last; and 
as man after man fell at his post, his body was 
perhaps hastily imbedded in debris at the rear. 

As for the builders, who were they ? Where 
did they come from ? These are difficult ques- 
tions to answer. Mr. Justin Winsor, in the 
" Narrative and Critical History of America," 
writes in regard to the early investigators in 
the field of the prehistoric lore of America, 
" Few ... in discussing the problem could say, 
'1 have ventured to inquire,' without presuming 
to decide." 

Recognizing the pertinency of these words, and 
realizing that the discussion of such topics be- 
longs to those who have made a survey of the 
whole broad field with knowledge of all the facts, 
both archseological and linguistic, I disclaim all 



170 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLEES. 

desire to put forth a theory as to the origin and 
disappearance of the Cliff-Dwellers. If my work 
may claim any merit, it will be due to the fact 
that the future antiquary may learn from the 
reproduction of my photographs, and their de- 
scription, the condition of the Mancos ruins in the 
years 1889 and 1890*, while, therefore, I would 
not venture to theorize from the small collection 
of facts which we have obtained, I may be per- 
mitted to call attention to a few generally con- 
ceded facts of history. From the seventh to the 
twelfth century, the Toltecs invaded Mexico from 
the north ; following them came the Aztecs. It 
is possible that Colorado and New Mexico may 
have been the former dwe-lling-place of these 
migratory nations; or if they came from the 
northwest, straggling bands may have strolled 
into the lands we are describing. Yet all con- 
nection between the people of the North and 
those of Mexico had probably been lost long 
before 1530 a. d. It is not even probable that 
either knew of the existence of the other, though 
a belief has been current that those people wor- 
shipped Montezuma. Again I must quote Mr. 
Bandelier : • — 

''What the Indians themselves say of this tale, I 
have not as yet ascertained j but the people of the val- 



ARCH^OLOGICAL NOTES. 171 

ley all assert that the people of the pueblo believe in it ; 
that they even affirmed that Montezuma was born at 
Pecos ; that he wore golden shoes, and left for Mexico, 
where, for the sake of these valuable brogans, he was 
ruthlessly slaughtered. They further say that when 
he left Pecos he commanded that the holy fire should 
be kept burning till his return; in testimony whereof 
the sacred embers were kept aglow till 1840, and then 
transferred to Jemez. 

''There is one serious point in the whole story, 
and that is the illustration how an evident mixture 
of a name with the Christian faith in a personal re- 
deemer, and dim recollections of Coronado's presence 
and promise to return, could finally take the form of 
a mythological personage. In this respect, for the 
study of mythology in general, it is of great impor- 
tance. That the sacred fire had originally nothing 
at all to do with the Montezuma legend, is amply 
proven by the earliest reports. 

"It will also become interesting to ascertain in 
the future how many pueblos, and which, concede to 
Pecos the honor of being the birthplace of that famed 
individual, and how many, as is the case with other 
great folks in more civilized communities, claim 
the same honor for themselves. 

' ' I cannot, therefore, attach to the Montezuma 
tale any historical importance whatever, not even a 
traditional value. ' ' ^ 

1 Report on the Ruins of the Pueblo of Pecos, p. 112, in 
" Papers of the Archaeological Institute of America," Boston, 
1883. 



172 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

It is interesting to note what Mr. Bandelier 
writes in another work, of a tradition met with 
at Mitla, two hundred miles south of the city of 
Mexico : — 

"I found there among the Indians the singular 
tradition that the buildings of Sansuanch — as the 
ruins are called east of the Venta Salada, at the foot 
of the Sierra de Zongolica — had been the former 
home of Montezuma, from which he had started to 
conquer Mexico.. The parallelism with similar tradi- 
tions among the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, far 
to the north, is indeed remarkable." 

It has been customary in popular writings to 
claim for the Cliff-Dwellers that they were a 
different stock even from the Pueblo Indians ; 
some going so far as to state that they were a 
white race. There is no ground whatever for 
any such conclusion. As a rule, they had black 
hair, and were probably of dark complexion. 
They were of medium height, with skulls flat- 
tened by papoose boards, and in general with 
little to distinguish them from southern tribes. 
As regards their antiquity, and the length of 
time which they inhabited these caiions, all is 
shrouded in mystery. But I am inclined to 
think that the claim that I have made a few 
pages back, that the ruins or buildings may have 



i 



ARCH^OLOGICAL NOTES. 173 

stood for a thousand years, allows sufficient time 
for the period of building, occupying, and desertion 
of these picturesque dwelling places. As for the 
identity of race, in the absence of all reliable tes- 
timony I am content to accept the statement of 
Wap, the Ute Indian, that they were the fore- 
fathers of certain Pueblo tribes who now occupy 
lands to the south,^ regarding it as the more sig- 
nificant because, being uttered in a burst of indig- 
nation, it was doubtless the expression of a deeply 
grounded belief. 

1 See chapter x., the Ute Indians, p. 117. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE MESA VEKDE. 

THE Mesa Verde is the name ^ given to the 
high plateau which rises above the Mancos 
and Montezuma valleys to a height of from fif- 
teen hundred to two thousand feet. Roughly- 
speaking, it is about twenty by thirty miles in 
extent, and thus contains over six hundred square 
miles. 

The surrounding country to the north and west 
has been eroded, leaving this plateau standing 
alone. It would seem, when observed from be- 
low, as if the top were nearly level ; but this is far 
from the fact : the surface is undulating. More- 
over, Mancos Canon cuts through the entire 
length of the plateau, and as the side caiions head 
near the outer rims, the seeming solid mass is but 
a shell. The work of erosion is still going on, at 
least in winter, when volumes of water from the 

1 This plateau was named the " Mesa Verde " by Dr. J. S. 
Newberry when he, as geologist, accompanied the exploring 
expedition of Capt. J. N. Macomb. At that time its sides were 
covered with grass. 



THE MESA VERDE. 175 

melting snows flow down the canons and over the 
cliffs. The capping is of sandstone, and the 
greater part of the plateau is built up of layers of 
this same material, though this geological forma- 
tion is interlaid with strata of friable nature which 
are more easily eroded, leaving the firmer rock 
standing as sheer precipitous walls. The top of 
the Mesa, except on the highest points, is covered 
with a scrubby forest of juniper and piiion trees 
Indian and game trails lead through this open 
forest in every direction. 

There are several ways of ascending or descend- 
ing with pack-mules and horses, — an important 
consideration, as a journey without pack-animals 
is out of the question ; for blankets and provisions 
should be taken for a stay of several days. One 
route is to descend the main cafion of the Mancos 
to a point between Cliff and Navajo Canons, 
where a good Indian trail leads to the plateau. 
It is not so steep nor so difficult as that leading 
to the opposite mesa. Another trail leads from 
Mancos Valley to Point Lookout. This is much 
travelled by cattle, and the paths are well worn. 
A third leads from the Montezuma Valley, and 
was never used except by Indians until we passed 
over it in September, 1890. It is not easy to find, 
especially in making the descent. Our party tried 



176 THE LAND OF THE ( LIFP-DWELLERS. 

to get down the cliffs in many places before we 
discovered the true route. We wasted several 
hours-, and descended in vain to considerable dis- 
tances at different points of the Mesa's edge, and 
were as often obliged to climb up again. At last 
we found an encampment of Indians, of a party 
which had come from Ute Mountain, and de- 
scended by their trail. 

The summit of the plateau is very dry, water 
being found in but few places. Occasionally it 
remains in " tanks " some time after a rainfall. 
These " tanks " are of special interest, from the fact 
that they were used by the Cliff-Dwellers. In 
some cases they were walled up to increase their 
capacity, and, where the sides were steep and slip- 
pery, steps were cut in the rock to enable the car- 
riers to descend and bail out the water. Similar 
natural cisterns are also found in dry streams in 
the bed of the caiions. Once we searched long 
for such a place, riding till late in the night over 
an almost impassable trail ; and we should have 
been obliged to camp without water if we had not 
discovered some cattle belonging to the Utes, 
which gave us the clew, following which we came 
to a tank. 

On the Mesa, near the brink of Cliff Canon, not 
far from the great ruin, is such a tank; but while 



THE MESA VERDE. 177 

camping there we gave it up to our animals, as 
there is a good spring in a short box-cailon near 
at hand, from which we could conveniently draw 
up the water over the cliff with lassos. 

On another occasion we suffered from extreme 
thirst. Our canteens were empty, and we searched 
in vain for tanks on the Mesa. We separated, 
and followed the brink of canons, looking below 
for pools. Search for ruins was given up ; we 
were engrossed with our search for water. Fin- 
ally one sighted it in a pool below, and answer- 
ing his call, we gathered on the edge of the canon. 
There, down in the depths, was a little round, 
yellow, dirty-looking puddle. It did not look in- 
viting, but we knew it was good, for it was rain- 
water, and there were no signs of alkaline incrus- 
tations near it. We descended at break-neck speed, 
and spent an hour by its side. 

It is difficult to find places of descent for horses 
and mules into the tributary canons. The walls, 
except near the western rim of the plateau, are 
very abrupt, and when one rides along the ]\Iesa, 
he frequently finds that he has arrived at a jump- 
ing-off place, for he is between two of the 
branches. The easiest places of descent are by 
the main canons. 

The Navajos have kept sheep and horses on the 
12 



178 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

Mesa, using for a corral the area between two box- 
canons, which is cut off from the main plateau by 
a fence of juniper-trees. 

There are many ruins on the Mesa, but they are 
so dilapidated that it is impossible to form an idea 
of their construction. A tower is yet standing 
between the forks of Navajo Canon and another 
on the brink of one of the tributaries. This lat- 
ter is a very picturesque sight when observed 
from the ravine below ; it commands a good view, 
and may have been used as a place of lookout. 
The places of burial were near the houses, and 
here it is that w^e find such an abundance of 
broken pottery, while a most fascinating variation 
is the search for arrow-heads, I found a number 
of very pretty specimens in an hour's time spent 
among some of these mounds. Similar ruins are 
found at the base of the Mesa, among the sand- 
hills of the northern side. 

Let me finally describe one of our journeys 
across the Mesa. Our camp was on the brink of 
Cliif Gallon. We reached it long after dark ; and 
after the usual hard riding after stray horses, we 
got everything to rights, and whiled away the 
evening hours by a huge fire. Such a blaze as 
juniper and piuon pines make ! — a fire easy to 
build, and of lasting brilliancy. 



THE MESA VERDE. 179 

The next morning dawned warm and bright, 
with a pleasant light breeze. We were up at 
sunrise, and off at eight o'clock, delaying only to 
photograph the camp and pack-animals. Our route 
lay to the north, along the mesa summit, and be- 
tween Cliff and Navajo Caiions, which here run 
nearly parallel with the main one. We passed 
near the ends of many tributaries of these gorges, 
which showed that while it was a comparatively 
easy matter to get out of this country to the 
north, to come back to any given point from that 
direction would be impossible to any one not fa- 
miliar with all the arms of the different canons. 
Eeversing the case of a mouse and a wire trap, 
it is easy enough to get out, but difficult to get in. 

We observed no traces of ancient roads on the 
Mesa, nor of irrigating ditches ; but we passed 
the ruins of what appears to have been a large 
reservoir. 

At about ten o'clock we were at the heads of 
Navajo and Cliff Canons ; and soon we were so 
near the west end of the Mesa that we caught a 
glimpse of the broad Montezuma Valley. All the 
morning we followed trails leading through the 
extensive chaparral of juniper and pinon trees. 
The pinons were loaded with nuts, which are good 
eating. The Indians make Hour from them, and 



180 THE LAND OF THE CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

subsist on it in certain seasons. Flying about 
were many piiion birds. The trails were made by 
Indians, deer, or cattle. We caught sight of three 
deer in the morning, and our dog brought a wild 
steer to bay, which threatened at one time to run 
us down. 

About noon we reached the summit of the Mesa, 
at a point about an hour south of the promontory 
which marks the entrance to Mancos Canon. A 
most remarkable view was unfolded. Over the 
pastoral scenes of the valley of IVIancos, beyond 
the deep cafions of the Dolores River, far away in 
the north, loomed the snowy crests of the San 
Juan Mountains : Lone Cone, and the San Miguel 
on the left, then the Ouray group, with the grand 
peaks which we had climbed, flanked on the south 
by the mountains of Silverton and the Needles of 
the Rio de las Animas. Far away in the east rose 
range upon range which we could not identify 
with certainty. In the west were the Blue Moun - 
tains of Utah, Sierra Abajo, and Sierra la Sal. To 
the south and southwest stretched the great sys- 
tem of labyrinthine cailons, and far beyond were 
the Carisso Mountains of New Mexico. Here, 
within sight of our valley, and within a few 
hours' ride of it, we were able to while away the 
midday hours, and — as perhaps the former in- 




TOWER IN CLIFF PALACE. 



THE MESA VERDE. 181 

habitants of this strange land may have done at 
this same outlook — watch the panorama. 

Eesting on this summit, it was interesting to 
recall many incidents of our trip, and discuss the 
antiquities visited. 

Looking over the wide stretch of country, we 
recalled the fact that to the early explorers this 
land seemed a desert. And well indeed it might. 
Over the wide arid plains stretch miles of waste 
acres covered with sage-brush and grease-wood. 
Yet all along the tops of the great Mesa over 
which we had been riding, pottery is strewn and 
signs of a primitive race are found. Its numbers 
must have been large, or the period of their stay 
prolonged. 

It has been inferred by some writers that there 
must formerly have been a greater annual rainfall, 
in order that such a population could have been 
supported by agricultural employment; but judg- 
ing from so much evidence that we found in the 
way of tanks and fragments of large water-jars, 
it would appear that the country was lacking in 
water even when occupied by the Cliff-Dwellers. 
And the hypothesis of a change of climate there- 
fore becomes unnecessary. That the vanished 
race could have gained subsistence by tillage of 
the soil, seems evidenced by what the farmers of 



182 THE LAND OP THE CLIFF-DWELLEES. 

Mancos and Montezuma Valleys are doing. This 
success shows what the lowlands, at least, are 
capable of producing, with irrigation. We find, 
however, no vestiges of ditches on the Mesa, and 
there is not much water to turn into such chan- 
nels, if they did exist. Yet, on the tableland on 
which thrive such forests of juniper and pinon, 
enough grass grows to support much game and 
many cattle ; and the time may come when the 
land, grasped by the oncoming mightier race, will 
be overturned and tilled, and all along the broad 
tablelands and in many of the fertile canon beds 
we shall see the tasselled maize bend, and fields 
of wheat wave to the breeze. Then it will no 
longer seem incredible when we read that the 
country once supported a great population, a 
people well advanced in many arts, and who con- 
ceived of certain forms of beauty, even though 
they lacked the ability to reproduce them in ar- 
tistic shapes. And may we not imagine them a 
race who loved peace rather than war, but who, 
hard pressed by a savage foe, fought stubbornly 
and long, and died rather than desert their ro- 
mantic fortresses among the canon cliffs ? 



INDEX. 



Abiquiu, 66, 99. 
Abiquiu Peak, 69. 
Acoma, 21, 27, 53, 54. 
Acowitz Canon, 127. 
Acowitz-Ute Indian, 119. 
Alamo Kanch, 100, 109. 
Alencaster, Governor, 36. 
Alkali, 121, 159. 
Amazons, legends of, 17. 
Amulets, 62. 

Animas Caiion, 70, 72, 96. 
Animas River, 69, 71, 72, 96. 
Animas Valley, ruins in, 75, 

100. 
Antelope Park, 70. 
Apache Indians, 22, 30, 31, 48. 
Arellanno, 23. 
Arizona, 11. 
Arkansas River, 32, 37. 
Arrow-heads, 178. 
Arrows, poisoned, 47. 
Avalanches, 80. 
Axes, stone, 166. 
Aztecs, 170. 
Aztec Springs, 103. 

Badgers, 89. 

Baker, John, 71, 72, note, etc. 
Baker's Park, 72, 
Bandelier, A. F., 168, 170. 
Basket making, 50. 



Bear Mountain, 74. 
Bent's Fort, 41. 
Bickford, F. T., 143, note, 
Bighorn, 165. 
Blankets, 165. 
Blanket weaving, 50. 
Blue Mountains, 180. 
Bonilla, 25. 

Bowlder Mountain, 74. 
Bows and arrows, 166. 
Box Caiion, 125. 
Bronchos, 86, 101. 
Brushes, 166. 
Buckskin, 165. 
Buffalo, 23, 49. 
Bureau Ethnology, 45. 
Burial Mounds, 121, 178. 

Cabeza de Vaca, 18. 
Cabrillo, 23. 
Cachupin, 65. 
Camijs, 123, 178. 
Capazone, 109. 
Capotes, 109. 
Cardenas, 21. 
Carisso Mountains, 180. 
Carson, Kit, 41. 
Carson, William, 41, note. 
Casa Grande, 53. 
Castaneda, 57. 
Caves, 145, note. 



184 



INDEX. 



Cazorla, 25. 

Chaco Canou, 67, 157. 

Chama Kiver, 69. 

Chamuscado, 24. 

Chihuahua, 37, 48. 

Chiinueys, 143, 147. 

Cibola, 20, 21, 25, 54, 57. 

Cicuye, 21. 

Clans, 62. 

Cliff-dwellings, age of, 150, 167, 

170, 172. 
Cliff Canou, 139. 
Cliff-palace, 139, 142. 
Clothing, 165. 
Coal, 124, 147. 
Coiled Ware, 161, 163. 
Colombo, 18. 
Colorado, 11. 

Colorado River, 13, 21, 97. 
Columbia Kiver, 34. 
Comanche Indians, 31, 37, 50, 

note. 
Continental Divide, 71. 
Cook's Peak, 29. 
Corn, Indian, 143, 160. 
Coronado, 18, 19,20,22,23,171. 
Coronado's Route, map, 12. 
Cortez, 17, 27. 
Cosinos Indians, 50. 
Cotton, 162. 
Cotton wood-trees, 101. 
Council Grove, 40. 
Crestone Peak, 42. 
Crevasse in rock, 136. 

Dallas River, 90. 

Deer, 102. 

Defensive works, 68. 

Denver & Rio Grande R. R , 97, 

107. 
Diaz Melchior, 21. 



Digger Indians, 50. 

Dolores Peak, 93. 

Dolores River, 69, 71, 96, 104, 

180. 
Doors and doorways, 132, 149. 
Dorantes, 19. 
Durango, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 

108. 
Du Tisseuet, 32. 

El Paso, 39. 

El Turco, 22. 

Eudlich, Dr. F. M., 29, 79. 

Erosion, 174. 

Espejo, 25. 

Estevan, 19, 20. 

Estufas, 31, 59, 61, 142. 

Eusebio, 31. 

Fewkes, J. Walter, 142, note. 
Fireplaces, 142, 147, 150. 
Flute, 122. 
Fortification, 129. 
Fort Lewis, 98. 
Fossil shells, 136. 
Fray Marcos, 19, 20. 
Fray Honoratus, 19. 
French Invasion, 31, 32. 
Front Range, 35. 

Galena Mountain, 74. 
Gila River, 53. 
Gilpin Ranch, 42. 
Glacial scorings, 81. 
Grants, Mexican laud, 42. 
Gunnison River, 78. 
Guzman, 18. 

Hampers, 166. 

Hayden's Survey, 29, 73, 75. 

Hesperis Peak, 93, 95, 99. 



INDEX. 



185 



Historical Society of Colorado, 

157. 
Holmes, W. H., 103, 104, 120, 

142, note, 163, note. 
Hovenweep River, 104. 
Hualapais Indians, 50. 
Humaiia, 25. 

Ignacio, 108. 

Indian trails, 106, 121, 127. 
Indian wars, 108, 109. 
Indians, photographing, 111, 

116. 
Irrigation, 52, 59, 101, 144, 182. 
Isleta, 57. 
Iturbide, 43. 

Jackson, W. H , 104, 120, 123, 

note. 
Jemez, 57, 171. 
Juglans rupestns, 162, note. 
Juniper-trees, 175, 179. 

Kansas, 40. 

Kansas Indians, 36. 
Kearney, General, 43. 
Kilns, 104. 
King Solomon, Mount, 74. 

Labyrinth Canon, 69. 

Laguna, 57. 

Lain, Don Joaquim, 66. 

La Laude, 35. 

La Plata Mountains, 70, 93, 

95, 97, 98. 
Largo, Canon, 68. 
La Ve'rendrye, 35. 
Lewis and Clarke, 34, 38. 
Lintel, 149. 

Lizzard Peak, 93, 93, note. 
Lone Cone, 93, 180. 



Los Canones, 69. 

Los Pinos, 110. 

Luis Maria Baca Grant, 42. 

Lummis, C. F., 45, note. 

Mackenzie, 34. 

Macomb, Captain, 67. 

Maldonado, 19. 

Mancos, 97, 99. 

Maucos Canon, 14, 76, 120, 174. 

Mancos River, 71, 96, 97, 121. 

Mariana, Indian Chief, 109. 

Maricopa Indians, 48, 

McElmo Canon, 104 

McLoyd,. Charles, 157, 158, note. 

Melgares, 37, 38. 

Meudoza, 18. 

Mesa Verde, 14, 105, 174 

Mescal, 49. 

Metals, absence of, 168. 

Mexican indejjendeuce, 43. 

Mexican people, 43. 

Mining, 28, 30. 

Missions, 30, 31. 

Mojave Indians, 49, 50. 

Montezuma, 27, 56, 170. 

IMontezuma Canon, 104. 

Montezuma Valley, 103, 174, 

175, 179, 182. 
Montrose, 78. 
Moqui Indians, 21, 25, 54, 59, 

62, 67, 117. 
Moraines, 84, 89. 
Mortar, 122, 148. 
Mortar, stone, 144. 
Moss, John, 99. 
Mount Kendall, 74. 
Mount Snaefell, 70, 78, 83. 
Mount Snaefell, ascent of, 89-95. 
Mount Wilson, 93. 
Muaches, 109. 



186 



INDEX. 



Narvaez, 19. 

Navajo Caiion, 146, 159 

Navajo Indiaus, 49, 50, note. 

Navajo sheep, 102. 

Needle Mountains, 70, 72, 93, 

180. 
Needles, wooden, 160. 
Neives, 66. 

Nevava, Indian Chief, 108. 
Newberry, Dr. J. S., 67, 174, 

note. 
New Mexico, 11, 20, 23, 27, 65, 

66. 
New Spain, 23. 

Ollas, 166. 

Oma-a, cloud god, 63. 

Onate, 26, 27, 28, 65. 

Opates, 47. 

Ouray, Indian Chief, 108 

Ouray, town, 29, 78, 79, 84, 85. 

Painting on walls, 122, 143, 

149, 164. 
Parrott City, 99. 
Pawnee Indians, 20, 37. 
Pecos, 49, 54, 57. 
Peonage, 33. 
Piers, stone, 148. 
Pike, Lieutenant, 16, 24, 37, 

38. 
Pike's Peak, 38. 
Pima Indians, 51. 
Pinon-trees, 175, 179. 
Pipes, 166. 
Plaster, 148, 149. 
Platte River, 35. 
Point Lookout, 98, 175. 
Pope, 31. 

Porter's Camp, 85, 89. 
Potosi Peak, 80. 



Pottery, 50, 59, 61, 134, 144, 

147,'l78. 
Pottery kilns, 104. 
Pottery, painted, 162, 163, 164. 
Prayer plumes, 63. 
Pueblo clans, 62. 
Pueblo, Colorado, city of, 42. 
Pueblo district, size of, 53. 
Pueblo language, 57. 
Pueblo stock-raising, 59. 
Pueblo structures, 56, 61. 
Pueblos, ancient, 75, note. 
Pueblos, clothing, 57 
Pueblos, crops, 59, 61. 
Pueblos, land, 59, 61. 
Pueblos, origin of, 64. 
Pueblos, religion, 59, 63. 
Pueblos, revolt of, 30. 
Purseley, James, 36, 37. 

QUERECHOS, 22. 

Queres, 53. 
Quivira, 20, 22, 23. 

Ravens, 130. 

Red River, 37. 

Relics, 135, 157, 163, 166. 

Reservoir, 179. 

Rio Colorado, 97. 

Rio Grande, 22, 39. 

Rio Grande Pyramid, 74. 

Rivera, Juan Maria, 66. 

Rocky Mountains, 23, 31, 38. 

" Round up," 101. 

Ruins in valleys, 103. 

Sage brush, 101. 
Sanchez, 26. 
Sandals, 123, 160, 165. 
Saugre de Cristo Mountains, 
41, 42. 



INDEX. 



187 



San Juan minerals, 65, 72, note, 

73. 
San Juan mines, 81, 83, 85. 
San Juan Mountains, 65, 70. 
San Juan River, 66, 68, 71, 97 
San Luis Park, 156. 
San Miguel Mountains, 70, 93, 

180. 
San Miguel River, 71. 
Santa Fe, 28, note, 43. 
Santa Fe' Trade, 39. 
Santa Fe Trail, 16. 
Santo Domingo, 57. 
St. Vrain, 41. 
Selkirk Mountains, 34. 
Seris Indians, 47. 
Siieep, 144, note, 165, 177. 
Sheep, Mountain, 165. 
Sheep, Navajo, 101. 
Sierra Abajo, 180. 
Sierra Blanca, 78, 156. 
Sierra el Late, 107, 128. 
Sierra la Plata, 50. 
Sierra la Sal, 180. 
Sierra Mimbres, 70. 
Sills and beams 149. 
Silversmiths, 50, note. 
Silverton, 70, 74, 97. 
Simpson, Lieutenant, 67. 
Sioux Indians, 36. 
Skeletons, 160, 161. 
Skulls, 144, 157. 
Snake Dance, Moqui, 62. 
Sonora, 31, 63. 
Sopete, 22. 
South Pass, 35. 
Spanish exploration, 17. 
Spanish trail, 99. 
Stock-raising, 101. 
Stone Steps, 129, 140, 152. 
Stony Mountains, 24. 



Stony Peak, 80. 
Sultan Peak, 74. 
Superstition of Utes, 131. 
Surouaro, 68 and note. 

Tabayo, Ute Indian, 113. 
Tanks, 129, 176. 
Taos, 53, 54, 55. 
Tehua, 53. 
Tejos, 18, 20. 
Telluride, 70. 
Tephuanas, 47. 
Teyas Indians, 22. 
Tierra Amarilla, 71. 
Tiguas, 21, 53. 
Timbers, 148. 
Tizon, Rio del, 21. 
Tobar, Pedro de, 21. 
Tobosos, Indians, 48. 
Toltecs, 170. 
Tools, 135, 154. 
Towers, 125, 142, 178. 
Trails, Indian, 106, 121, 127. 
Treasury Hill, 82, 89. 
Turkeys, 144, 149, 164. 
Tusayan (Moqui), 21. 

L^iNTAHs, Ute Indians, 108. 
Uncompahgre Indians, 108. 
Uncompaligre Mountain, 70, 

78. 
Uncompahgre River, 71. 
Utah, 1. 

Ute Canon, 146. 
Ute Indians, 50, 73, 105, 107, 

131. 
Ute Mountain, 176. 
Ute Peak, 98. 

Valverpe, 31. 
Vargas, Diego de, 31. 



188 INDEX. 



L 



Vera Cruz, 39. 
Vizcaya, 25. 



Wap, Ute Indian, 117, 173. 
Water jars, 113, 114, 164. 
Webber Canon, 120, 121. 
Weeminuches, 107, 109. 
Wetherill's Ranch, 100. 
Wetherill, Richard, 157. 
"Wickyups," Indian, 112, 113. 
Wind River Mountains, 35. 



Winsor, Justin, 169. 
Witchcraft, 62. 

Xabe, 22. 



a 



Yellow Jacket Canon, 104. 
Yellow Stone River, 35. 
Yuma Indians, 49, 50. 
Yutahs, 31, 50, 107. 

ZuNi, 25, 53, 54. 
Zuni Indians, 67. 



